As protests swell against unjust laws, Catholic faithful and leaders in India call for renewed commitment to inter-religious dialogue and justice
Newsroom (19/09/2025, Gaudium Press ) As India grapples with a volley of legislative measures perceived as curtailing fundamental freedoms, protests have intensified across Rajasthan and Maharashtra against two contentious bills passed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led governments. These laws not only threaten the constitutional right to religious liberty but also undermine the Catholic Church’s longstanding commitment to interfaith dialogue, human dignity, and the protection of minorities—principles enshrined in Vatican II’s Declaration on Religious Freedom, Dignitatis Humanae, which affirms that “the human person has a right to religious freedom” free from coercion. Critics, including civil rights groups and religious leaders, argue that such enactments risk fostering a climate of intolerance, echoing historical patterns of persecution against faith communities.
In Rajasthan, the state assembly’s approval of the anti-conversion bill on September 9 2025, has sparked widespread outrage, with the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) labeling it a “draconian” assault on democratic norms and civil rights. “Requiring public approval for a personal decision like conversion undermines liberty and privacy.” Promoted by the BJP administration, the legislation was rammed through amid protests from the opposition, who walked out after the assembly speaker denied adequate debate—a move decried as a blatant violation of parliamentary procedure. The Rajasthan Home Ministry’s admits that no cases of “love jihad” (a term often invoked to allege forced conversions through interfaith marriages) have surfaced in recent years further underscoring the bill’s apparent disconnect from empirical reality, thereby raising questions about its true intent.
“This is an unnecessary law to target Christians and other minorities,” said Father Basil Makwana, a diocesan priest, in an interview with UCA News on September 10. Sister Carol Geeta, a lawyer and member of the Mission Sisters of Ajmer, called the law a violation of constitutional guarantees. “The freedom to choose, practice, and propagate a religion is enshrined in our constitution,” she told UCA News. The bill’s vague definitions of “coercion” and “enticement” could criminalize innocuous interactions, such as sharing faith perspectives or providing humanitarian aid, which the Catholic Church sees as extensions of its evangelical mission rooted in love and service rather than compulsion. Penalties are severe: seven to 14 years imprisonment and fines up to 500,000 rupees (about 5,000 euros), with escalated punishments for conversions involving women, minors, or marginalized groups—provisions that disproportionately impact vulnerable Christian communities in a state where Hindus form the majority.
Notably, the law carves out exceptions for “reconversion” to one’s “original faith” (known as ghar wapsi), but lacks clarity on timelines or criteria, opening doors to arbitrary enforcement against religious minorities, including Catholics. This asymmetry contravenes Catholic teachings on equality before God, as articulated in Pope Francis’ encyclical Fratelli Tutti, which calls for fraternity across faiths and rejects any form of discrimination. Moreover, the requirement for district magistrate approval for any conversion shifts the burden of proof onto the accused, inverting the presumption of innocence—a principle the Church upholds as essential to justice and human rights. Catholic leaders in Rajasthan have reported heightened tensions, including threats from Hindu hardliner groups like the Bajrang Dal against Church-run schools and hospitals, accused baselessly of serving as fronts for conversions. Such incidents, they argue, reflect a broader erosion of the secular fabric that once protected India’s pluralistic society.
Meanwhile in the state of Maharashtra, the Special Public Security Bill—renamed the “Public Oppression Bill” by demonstrators—has ignited one of the largest protest waves in the state’s recent history, with thousands marching in Mumbai, Pune, and beyond. Enacted amid opposition outcry, the law empowers the government to deem organizations “illegal” without precise definitions of prohibited acts, paving the way for arbitrary crackdowns on dissent. Provisions for warrantless arrests and preventive detention evoke fears of a “police state,” where freedom of expression and assembly—cornerstones of democratic life—are subordinated to unchecked state authority.
This legislation poses a grave risk to the Church’s advocacy for social justice, as it could criminalize associations or support for groups labeled subversive, including those engaged in peaceful protests or charitable work. Catholic social teaching, as outlined in Rerum Novarum and subsequent papal documents, emphasizes the right to organize and voice grievances against injustice, viewing such freedoms as integral to the common good. Protesters, including civil society coalitions, have highlighted violations of constitutional Articles 14 (equality), 19 (freedom of speech and assembly), and 21 (right to life and liberty), chanting slogans that decry the bill as an instrument of oppression rather than security. Earlier mobilizations in April and July foreshadowed this unrest, with speakers warning of its potential to stifle interfaith harmony and minority rights advocacy.
These state-level developments occur against a national backdrop where the Supreme Court of India has intervened, demanding explanations from multiple states on the constitutional validity of similar anti-conversion laws. On September 16, a bench led by Chief Justice Bhushan R. Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran granted Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, and Karnataka four weeks to respond to petitions challenging these statutes as reported earlier by Gaudium Press.
“This is a significant step by the Supreme Court,” said Father Cedric Prakash, a Jesuit priest and Gujarat-based rights activist with Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP), the lead petitioner in the case. “Our petitions have been pending since 2020, and some states have yet to respond. These laws, often labeled as ‘Freedom of Religion’ acts, contradict the Indian Constitution’s guarantee of the right to profess, practice, and propagate one’s religion.”
Chander Uday Singh, CJP’s lawyer, urged the court to block these laws, arguing they “curtail the religious freedom of minorities and target interfaith marriages.” He cited Uttar Pradesh’s 2024 amendment, which escalated penalties for conversions through marriage to life imprisonment, as an example of overreach that renders interfaith unions “near impossible.”
A Church leader in Uttar Pradesh, speaking anonymously due to fear of reprisal, described the laws as tools used by right-wing Hindu activists to falsely accuse Christians of forced conversions. “The charitable works of the Church, such as education and healthcare, are being misrepresented as inducements for conversion,” he said. “Unless these laws are struck down, the lives of minorities, particularly Christians and Muslims, will become increasingly untenable.”
Catholic faithful and leaders in India call for renewed commitment to dialogue and justice, amid rising polarization. These bills, they contend, not only shrink democratic space but also challenge the soul of a diverse republic, where faith should unite rather than divide.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from UCA News, Indian Express, The Hindu, PRS India, Decan Herald, Times of India
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