Uttarakhand Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Bill approved with stringent penalties on illegal conversion

Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], August 14 (ANI): The Uttarakhand Cabinet has approved the Uttarakhand Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Bill, 2025, with provisions for stringent penalties on illegal conversion, ban on propaganda through digital media and protection of victims of religious conversion, a statement by the Uttarakhand CMO said.
The Bill was approved in the state cabinet meeting held on Wednesday under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.
According to the CMO, the Bill includes a broad definition of inducement - gifts, cash/goods benefits, employment, free education, promises of marriage, hurting religious sentiments, or glorifying another religion - all included in the category of crime.
The Bill bans "propaganda and incitement for conversion" through social media, messaging apps or any online medium.
It defines strict punishment for the cases involved under the law, with 3-10 years imprisonment for general violation, 5-14 years in cases related to sensitive sections, 20 years to life imprisonment in serious cases and a heavy fine, the CMO said.
The law strictly punishes marriage by hiding religion, and for the rights of the victim, it involves the provision of protection, rehabilitation, medical, travel and maintenance expenses.
The state government said that this law will protect the religious rights of citizens, prevent conversion by fraud, inducement or pressure and maintain social harmony.
Meanwhile, the Uttarakhand government has extended the time limit for exemption of marriage registration fee of Rs 250 under the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Rules till January 26, 2026. This decision has been taken by the government in public interest, further to encourage the participation of citizens for marriage registration.
In this regard, it has been clarified in the notification issued by the Home Department that under the Uniform Civil Code Rules, such persons whose marriage has been registered before the implementation of this code or divorce decree has been declared or marriage has been annulled, or such citizens whose marriage took place before the implementation of this code but whose marriage has not been registered, in such cases, the time limit for exemption of registration fee of Rs 250 prescribed by the notification dated June 6, 2025 for marriage registration is extended till January 26, 2026, with the aim of further encouraging the participation of citizens for marriage registration. (ANI)