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Contemporary observation

India: Maharashtra adopts an anti-conversion law, a Christian preacher targeted in Pune in the following days

The Vidhan Bhavan in Mumbai, seat of the Maharashtra assembly that passed the law, photographed in January 2012.
Photo of the place The Vidhan Bhavan in Mumbai, seat of the Maharashtra assembly that passed the law, photographed in January 2012. — Photo: Prashant Nadar, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

undetermined · Observation ≠ proven fulfilment

2026-07-31 → 2026-08-24 · État du Maharashtra (Mumbai, Pune), Inde

See the full entry: sources, objections, answers

What is reported

The Maharashtra Freedom of Religion Act (2026), published on 31 July 2026, penalizes conversions obtained through “inducement, fraud or coercion” and requires a prior declaration; the date of entry into force differs depending on the source (1 August according to ETV Bharat, 28 August according to Siasat). The state, one of the most populous in India, joins about a dozen states with comparable laws, which are being challenged before the Supreme Court. On 9 August, Pune police registered a complaint, filed at the initiative of Hindu organizations, against a British preacher who was holding meetings in a church in the Guruwar Peth neighborhood, accused of attempting conversions by promising miracles in the name of Jesus. According to the NGO International Christian Concern, the charges based on the new law were later dropped, with the investigation continuing under the Foreigners Act.

Main objection (in French for now)

The text of the law does not name any religion, and the first complaint registered in Pune under this law concerned a case of the abduction of a minor, unrelated to Christianity.

The text (World English Bible)

It was given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. Authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation was given to him.

Rev 13:7

He will speak words against the Most High, and will wear out the saints of the Most High. He will plan to change the times and the law; and they will be given into his hand until a time and times and half a time.

Dan 7:25

Jesus answered them, “Be careful that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will lead many astray. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you aren’t troubled, for all this must happen, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there will be famines, plagues, and earthquakes in various places. But all these things are the beginning of birth pains.

Matt 24:4-8

Sources