Civil society groups unite to oppose Rajasthan anti-conversion Bill, urge Governor to withhold assent

By A Representative 

A coalition of civil society organisations, rights groups and faith-based associations has strongly condemned the passage of the “Rajasthan Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion Bill, 2025” in the State Assembly on September 9, calling it draconian, unconstitutional and a direct attack on the fundamental rights of minorities. The statement was released at a press conference held at Vinoba Gyan Mandir, Jaipur, where representatives of more than a dozen organisations declared that they would actively lobby against the bill and urged the Governor not to grant assent, but instead refer it to the President of India under Article 200 of the Constitution.

The organisations argued that the Rajasthan bill is harsher and more invasive than existing anti-conversion laws in eleven states and violates Articles 14, 19, 21 and 25 of the Constitution. They noted that similar attempts in Rajasthan in 2006 and 2008 were blocked when the Governors of the time withheld assent and forwarded the bills to the President. The joint statement alleged that the law, far from protecting public order, will be used as a political tool by the ruling BJP to spread fear and hostility against minorities and to impose the ideological agenda of the Sangh Parivar.

Citing provisions that criminalise even ordinary discussions of faith as “allurement” and impose severe penalties ranging from seven years to life imprisonment with fines up to ₹30 lakh, the groups warned that the bill violates constitutional guarantees of freedom of conscience and the right to privacy. They pointed to Section 5, which introduces the concept of “love jihad” into the statute, as particularly dangerous, and criticised the exemption for so-called “reconversion to ancestral religion” as an attempt to privilege Hinduism while treating all other faiths as subordinate.

The statement also linked the passage of the bill with a spike in targeted violence. Since September 3, when the bill was reintroduced in the Assembly, at least ten incidents of attacks, harassment or arrests involving Christians have been reported across districts including Alwar, Hanumangarh, Dungarpur, Kotputli-Behror and Jaipur. The signatories alleged that police have largely sided with right-wing groups such as the Bajrang Dal and VHP, often refusing to file FIRs against them while arresting pastors and intimidating worshippers. Particularly troubling, they said, were repeated incidents in Pratap Nagar, Jaipur, within the Chief Minister’s own constituency.

The coalition announced a multi-pronged strategy to oppose the legislation, including meetings with the Governor, public rallies, inter-community dialogues, state-wide campaigns, signature and postcard drives, and legal challenges before the Supreme Court. They emphasised that the law would not withstand judicial scrutiny, citing both constitutional infirmities and legislative incompetence, as matters relating to religion and propagation fall within Union jurisdiction.

The statement concluded that the bill undermines India’s secular framework by criminalising the peaceful exercise of religious freedom and enabling majoritarian domination. The undersigned organisations included the Jaipur Christian Fellowship, Rajasthan Samagra Seva Sangh, PUCL, APCR Rajasthan, Rajasthan Buddhist Mahasangh, NFIW, AIDWA, Daman Pratirodh Andolan, Youth Buddhist Society of India, Jamaat-e-Islami Rajasthan, Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind, SDPI Rajasthan, Rajasthan Nagrik Manch, Dalit–Muslim Ekta Manch, Welfare Party of India (Rajasthan) and the Ambedkarite Party of India.