The Maharashtra Legislative Assembly has passed the 'Freedom of Religion Bill, 2026'

Current Context: The Maharashtra Legislative Assembly passed the Bill on 16 March 2026, and the Legislative Council cleared it on 17 March 2026.

• With this, Maharashtra became the 13th state in India to enact a dedicated anti-conversion law.
• The Bill prohibits religious conversions carried out through coercion, fraud, allurement, or misrepresentation.
• It requires a 60-day written notice to the District Magistrate before any conversion.
• A post-conversion declaration must be submitted within 21 days by both the individual and the facilitating organization.
• The burden of proof lies on the facilitator to establish that the conversion was voluntary.

Question:

Q.1 With the passage of the Anti-Conversion Bill (2026), Maharashtra became the ______ state in India to enact such a law.
a) 10th
b) 11th
c) 12th
d) 13th

Answer: d) Maharashtra became the 13th state to enact a dedicated anti-conversion law.