Maharashtra's draft conversion bill proposes 60-day notice period, registration

Mumbai, Mar 5 (PTI) The Maharashtra cabinet on Thursday cleared a draft prohibition of conversion bill which makes it mandatory to seek permission from a competent authority before converting to another religion.

A person who wants to convert must give a 60-day notice and seek permission from the designated authority before converting, an official said, talking about the provisions in the bill.

Further, a conversion must be registered with the authority within 25 days, or it will be considered null and void, he said.

If the blood relative of a person who wishes to convert files a complaint about the same being unlawful, police will register a First Information Report and conduct a probe, as per the bill.

The right to religious freedom does not include the right to convert by force, fraud or allurement but includes the right to be protected from such unlawful conversions, the bill said. PTI MR KRK