Mumbai Churches Adopt Signature Declarations Amid New Anti‑Conversion Law

Tue Sep 29 2026 03:32:10 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Christian congregations in Maharashtra are asking attendees to sign a declaration of free will as a precaution against the state’s new anti‑conversion legislation.

When Maharashtra’s new conversion law took effect, a wave of churches across Mumbai began handing out forms that declare worshippers’ attendance is voluntary. The practice, flown in to pre‑empt police scrutiny, highlights tensions over religious freedom in India’s most populous states. While authorities promise the law protects vulnerable people, critics fear ambiguous definitions and severe penalties could criminalise ordinary faith‑practices and strain interfaith relationships. The debate has put a spotlight on how legal frameworks interact with personal choice, especially for minority communities and couples who marry across religious lines.

Mumbai Churches Adopt Signature Declarations Amid New Anti‑Conversion Law

The bright‑faced churches of Mumbai have started handing out small plain‑paper forms for visitors to sign, promising to legitimize their attendance as voluntary worship. “I came here to pray of my own free will,” the first line reads – a statement of intent that has become a protective shield against a newly‑enacted anti‑conversion ordinance in Maharashtra.

Introduced in August, the law bars conversions achieved through force, fraud, coercion or inducement and requires people who voluntarily convert to notify the government before taking new faith. The penalty for unlawful conversion can reach seven years’ imprisonment, rising to ten for repeat offences. The clause is billed by state officials as a safeguard for the socially and economically vulnerable, yet it has opened a Pandora’s box for minority congregations and interfaith couples.

“If someone comes to a church, could they be accused of performing a conversion?” asks Devdan Tribhuvan, a Christian legal aid worker who has seen a shift in how prayer meetings are conducted. In a diocese close to Mumbai’s wide‑spreading cultural mosaic, the line between free worship and suspicious activity has become blurred. Police raids documented by The Indian Express showed five prayer‑meeting disruptions in the first half of the year, followed by nine related police cases.

The nuances are further complicated by the law’s broad definition of “allurement.” Employment, free education, promises of marriage, a “better lifestyle” or even the simple glorification of one religion over another can fall within its scope. Retired Bombay High Court judge Abhay Thipsay warns that “the definition has been kept so vague that almost any benefit accruing to a person can be considered a possible allurement.”

Critics argue that this framework threatens personal liberty, especially for interfaith couples who often face familial opposition before their wedding. The state amended the notification requirement to establish the voluntariness of conversion, yet left the floor open for relatives to report alleged violations, demanding police action and creating a legal minefield for families.

In the end, the measure underscores a larger dialogue about individual autonomy versus societal regulation. “An adult who can decide who they marry and cast a vote deserves the right to choose a religion independently,” says Thipsay. The current legislation, therefore, not only tests the limits of religious freedom in India but also questions the role of law in private faith decisions.