Uttarakhand Anti-Conversion Amendment Bill Returned by Governor Over Technical Flaws

The Uttarakhand Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Bill, 2025, intended to impose severe penalties for forced religious conversions, has been returned by Governor Lt Gen Gurmeet Singh (Retd.) to the state government due to identified technical discrepancies. Officials confirmed the legislation was sent back on Tuesday after the legislative department detected critical drafting irregularities requiring rectification.

This development has postponed the enforcement of enhanced anti-conversion measures, presenting the administration with limited pathways forward. Authorities may opt to issue an ordinance for immediate implementation or resubmit a revised version during the next Assembly session for renewed approval and passage.

Uttarakhand maintains an existing anti-conversion statute, originally introduced in 2018 and strengthened in 2022 under Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami. The current amendment, cleared by the cabinet on August 13, 2025, amid concerns over rising conversion incidents, secured Assembly approval on August 20 in Gairsain before transmission to the Governor.

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Key provisions in the proposal broaden complaint filing authority from close relatives to any person and escalate standard penalties from two-to-seven years imprisonment to three-to-ten years. District Magistrates gain powers similar to those under the Gangster Act to seize assets associated with unlawful conversions.

The most stringent punishments target conversions involving marriage deceit, coercion, conspiracy, minor trafficking, or rape, mandating minimum 20-year terms up to life imprisonment accompanied by fines reaching Rs 10 lakh. Reconsideration of these elements is now necessitated to address the flagged procedural concerns.

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