Uttarakhand state, India last week passed an amendment to its controversial anti-conversion law expanding punishment to life imprisonment.
The Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government managed to introduce the Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Bill, 2025 during an assembly session that turned chaotic over alleged Panchayat (local council) rigging. The amendment expands penalties from the current maximum of 10 years in prison to life imprisonment, with fines reaching 1 million Indian Rupees ($11,446 USD) for “forced conversions.”
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The bill, passed in a short session of the Assembly on Wednesday (Aug. 20), introduces India’s most chilling restrictions on freedom of religion and speech. Among concerning provisions are measures that criminalize “propaganda on social or digital media” as participation in religious conversion, with the government stating that “acts like promoting or inciting conversion through social media, messaging app or any online medium” will now be forbidden and punishable.
“When laws criminalize social media discussions about faith, they threaten every citizen’s fundamental right to religious expression in the digital age,” said the Rev. Vijayesh Lal, general secretary of the Evangelical Fellowship of India. “These provisions, with penalties up to life imprisonment, represent some of India’s harshest anti-conversion measures and could turn ordinary conversations about belief into criminal acts.”
The law reserves its harshest penalties for conversions involving what the state considers vulnerable populations. Cases involving minors, women, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, disabled or mentally challenged persons now carry five to 14 years imprisonment and a fine of at least 100,000 Indian Rupees ($1,150 USD). Mass conversions bring seven to 14 years imprisonment, while conversions with foreign or external funding will result in seven to 14 years in prison and a fine of at least 1 million Indian Rupees ($11,446 USD).
The most stringent punishment of 20 years to life imprisonment and a fine of at least 1 million Indian Rupees applies to conversions using force, threat, inducement, trafficking or promise of marriage. Those concealing their religion for marriage purposes face three to 10 years’ imprisonment and a 300,000 Indian Rupees ($3,434 USD) fine.
Christian support organization Open Doors ranks India 11th on its 2025 World Watch List of countries where Christians face the most severe persecution. India stood at 31st place in 2013 but has steadily fallen in the rankings since Modi came to power as prime minister.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written and originally published by Morning Star News.
