Catholic bishops in India urge repeal of anti-conversion laws in 12 states, citing violations of constitutional rights and misuse against Christians.
Newsroom (11/02/2026 Gaudium Press ) In a forceful appeal to India’s political leadership, the nation’s Catholic bishops have urged the immediate repeal of anti-conversion laws currently in effect across 12 Indian states, arguing that the legislation undermines constitutional guarantees of religious freedom, personal liberty, and privacy.
The appeal was issued at the close of the biennial general body meeting of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI), held from February 4 to 10 in the southern city of Bengaluru. In a statement released on February 10, the bishops asserted that the Indian Constitution affords “all citizens the fundamental right to freedom of conscience and the right to freely profess, practice and propagate a religion of one’s choice.”
Laws Criticized as Misused and Discriminatory
These state-level laws—officially titled “Freedom of Religion” Acts—are in force in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, and Himachal Pradesh. While they were introduced with the stated aim of curbing conversions achieved through coercion, inducement, or fraudulent means, Church leaders contend they have instead become instruments of harassment.
“The laws are being misused, and many innocent individuals are incarcerated based on unfounded allegations of forceful religious conversions,” the bishops’ statement noted.
Most of these laws were enacted in states governed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which promotes a Hindu nationalist agenda. The legislation often carries severe penalties—including life imprisonment and heavy fines—for those convicted of violating the provisions related to conversions through force or inducement.
“Zero Conviction Rate, Countless Harassments”
CBCI spokesperson Father Robinson Rodrigues told UCA News on February 11 that the bishops were alarmed by the growing number of alleged conversion cases in recent years. “Hundreds of cases have been registered, many of which were later closed for lack of evidence or remain unproven in court,” he said, emphasizing that “the conviction rate in these alleged conversion cases against Christians is zero.”
Despite the absence of convictions, many of the accused Christians, Rodrigues said, have endured “innumerable hardships, including detention in prison.” He further alleged that the laws have emboldened extremist groups to target Christians and disrupt their prayer services under the guise of preventing conversions.
“This hate mongering has reached a dangerous level, and even Catholic nuns in their habits were targeted,” Rodrigues said, describing the atmosphere of fear and hostility faced by Christian communities in several states.
Challenge in India’s Supreme Court
The constitutional validity of these laws has come under judicial scrutiny. On February 2, India’s Supreme Court sought responses from the federal government and the 12 states named in a petition filed by the National Council of Churches in India, which represents around 14 million Christians across the country.
The petition argues that the anti-conversion laws violate the core constitutional protection of religious freedom and disproportionately affect minority faith communities. The ongoing case could determine whether such state laws can stand within India’s broader constitutional framework.
Call for Equality for Dalit Christians
In addition to its plea for repealing the anti-conversion legislation, the CBCI’s Bengaluru assembly also called for ending what it described as systemic discrimination against Dalit Christians—members of historically marginalized castes who convert to Christianity but remain excluded from government affirmative action benefits.
Under current policy, Christians and Muslims of Dalit origin are denied access to quotas in education, public employment, and political representation. These privileges are available to Hindu, Sikh, and Buddhist Dalits under India’s Constitution, which recognizes caste distinction within those religions but not within Christianity or Islam.
The bishops stressed that this dual system amounts to institutionalized inequality. “It is unjust that Dalit Christians and Muslims are denied the same dignity and opportunities granted to their counterparts in other faiths,” the statement said.
A Minority Under Pressure
India’s Christian community—approximately 2.3 percent of the nation’s 1.4 billion people—is small but vibrant, spread largely across southern, northeastern, and tribal regions. Roughly 60 percent of India’s Christians are of Dalit or tribal background, many of them beneficiaries of Church-run education and social welfare programs.
While acknowledging India’s constitutional protections for freedom of religion, Church leaders say the persistence of anti-conversion laws and caste-based exclusions has left minority Christians feeling vulnerable and marginalized.
“Our appeal is not only for legal justice,” Father Rodrigues said, “but for the restoration of trust, harmony, and equality that are the foundation of our democracy.”
- Raju Hasmukh with files form UCA News
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