New Delhi, Aug 19 (IANS) The Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Congress on Wednesday strongly reacted against the implementation of the Maharashtra Freedom of Religion Act, 2026, in the state, emphasising that the existing law “fully permits” citizens to willingly convert and that such an Act may lead to “communal disharmony”.
However, leaders of the ruling MahaYuti government in the state noted that the Act is important for those who are “misled and trapped in the name of religion”.
The Maharashtra government has officially notified that the Maharashtra Freedom of Religion Act, 2026 (commonly referred to as the anti-conversion law) will take effect across the state on August 28.
The State Home Department released the official notification on August 17, following the Executive approval.
With this implementation, Maharashtra becomes the 13th state in India to enact a stringent law prohibiting forced or deceptive religious conversions.
Speaking to IANS, SP leader S.T. Hasan said: “This is against the fundamentals of the law. If an adult man or woman wants to convert their religion voluntarily, the law fully permits it. If someone converts under pressure or for inducement, that is wrong, and such a conversion is later cancelled. Everyone is allowed to convert their religion. People are converting from Hinduism to Islam and vice versa, and also from Islam to Christianity. I do not think this law will work. It will only further damage communal harmony.”
Congress leader Husain Dalwai questioned the “compulsion”, saying “People can convert if they want to…Muslim girls also marry Hindu men.”
“They (Maharashtra government) cannot bind the new generation in the name of religion,” he told IANS.
Congress leader Surendra Rajput urged for a “wider consultation” on the issue, before the implementation of the law.
However, Shiv Sena spokesperson Shaina NC clarified that the Act is not against any particular community or religion.
“People should not be misled and trapped in the name of religion, regardless of the community involved,” she told IANS, adding that the Gazette for the Act has been issued “because we have seen many cases of possible conversions”.
BJP MLA Ram Kadam said that any attempt to forcibly change someone’s religion, by allurement or by offering inducements, “is absolutely wrong”.
“Therefore, every individual has his or her own religion and is proud of it. But if you take advantage of someone’s poverty and give them temporary benefits and then change their religion, how can this be supported? Maharashtra itself has ‘Maha’ in its name, it is Maharashtra… It is the land of saints. So, no one has the right to forcibly change anyone’s religion here, through greed or attachment,” the BJP MLA added.
–IANS
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