State-level Freedom of Religion Acts, known colloquially as anti-conversion laws, are increasingly becoming a hallmark of Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) administrations. Additionally, although the Congress Party has usually strongly opposed the legislation, the Congress Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh has recently stated that he is considering enacting such a law. In 2006, anti-conversion legislation has become increasingly prominent, with every state in which the BJP holds sole power either passing a new law or strengthening existing anti-conversion legislation. This indicates the urgency with which such discriminatory legislation must be addressed.

Anti-conversion laws have been introduced in seven states: Orissa (1967), Madhya Pradesh (1968), Chhattisgarh (which inherited the Madhya Pradesh law when it was created out of the former state in 2000), Arunachal Pradesh (1978), Tamil Nadu (2002), Gujarat (2003) and Rajasthan (2006).

Dpwnload full report (94kB PDF)