Jaipur: The state assembly on Sept 9 passed the Rajasthan Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Bill, 2025, projecting it as a key step to curb “demographic imbalance” and alleged cases of “love jihad.” Yet, the state govt’s own records contradict the very premise of the law.Responding to a written query by Udaipur (Rural) MLA Phool Singh Meena of BJP, the home department admitted that no case of “love jihad” was ever registered in Rajasthan. In another reply to Kishanganj MLA Lalit Meena, it revealed that only 13 cases of illegal religious conversion were recorded in the past five years.Despite these figures, minister of state for home Jawahar Bedam, while piloting the Bill, maintained that the legislation was necessary to prevent coercive conversions, repeatedly invoking “love jihad” as a key concern. He argued the measure would safeguard social harmony and protect vulnerable individuals. Civil Lines MLA Gopal Sharma of BJP went further, claiming “love jihad” was rampant and orchestrated by organised groups—claims not supported by the govt’s own data.Reacting to the data, Congress chief whip Rafeek Khan said that their own data demolishes the theory of forced religious conversion. “In real sense, BJP govt only wanted to create fissures in the communal harmony of the state by plotting such acts which can be misused against minorities even when no attempt of legal conversion is being done,” said Khan.The Bill makes all offences non-bailable and mandates district magistrate’s prior permission for any religious conversion. Civil society groups and legal experts warn that these provisions infringe on fundamental rights, including freedom of religion and privacy. They also note the Bill’s selective exemption for reconversions to Hinduism, calling it discriminatory and politically motivated.
