Press Statement - Anti-Conversion Bill

Press Statement

Archdiocese of Bombay

10 March 2026

The Archdiocese of Bombay notes with concern the Maharashtra Cabinet’s approval of the draft Anti-Conversion Bill (Dharma Swatantrya Adhiniyam, 2026), as reported in the newspapers. While we acknowledge the State’s duty to safeguard individuals from coercion, inducement or deceit in religious matters, we must express serious reservations about provisions that undermine personal freedom of conscience.

The requirement of a sixty-day prior notice and permission from a designated authority before any act of conversion is, in our view, a burdensome process.  Besides, it reduces religion from a matter of conscience to a matter of state permission. No citizen should need state approval to respond to the voice of one’s conscience, or to any sincere conviction. Such a mechanism risks eroding the very dignity the law claims to defend.  We reject forced conversion outright; such acts are theologically invalid. True conversion is a free act of the spirit, never coerced.

Likewise, the provision allowing blood relatives to trigger police action through complaints, without safeguards against malice, opens the door to abuse. To prevent such a situation, where an allegation proves baseless, fairness demands that the complainant too be held accountable and penalized.

The Church in Mumbai remains committed to dialogue, truth, and the common good. We will continue to uphold the right of every person to seek, embrace, or change faith freely, without being burdened with the fear of punishment.

We urge the Government to reconsider these clauses, ensuring that any legislation respects both liberty and justice.

Archdiocese of Bombay

Press Office