Key Points
- The Goa government has decided to withdraw the anti-religious conversion bill from the current assembly session after meeting with minority community legislators.
- Chief Minister Pramod Sawant assured MLAs Michael Lobo, Delilah Lobo, and Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco that the bill would not be tabled.
- Legislators, including Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco, argued there was no need for such a law in Goa, citing government data showing no instances of forced conversions.
- The proposed legislation aimed to prohibit conversions through force, coercion, or fraudulent means, with stringent penalties including life imprisonment and fines.
- The bill had faced opposition from various political parties and Christian organisations, who questioned its necessity given existing criminal laws.
In a U-turn following pushback from legislators from the minority community, the Goa government on Monday decided not to introduce its anti-religious conversion bill during the ongoing monsoon session of the state assembly.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant conveyed the decision after a meeting with Bharatiya Janata Party MLAs Michael Lobo and Delilah Lobo and Independent legislator Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco on the opening day of the three-day session.
Legislative Pushback and Assurances
Lourenco, who backs the BJP-led government, said Sawant assured the legislators that the Goa Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Bill, 2026 would not be tabled in the ongoing session.
"I had made my stand clear that, if the government tables it, I will oppose it," the Curtorim legislator told reporters.
There was no need for such a legislation in Goa, he asserted, claiming that the government data showed no instances of forced religious conversions in the state.
BJP MLA Delilah Lobo, who attended the meeting, also confirmed that the government would not introduce the bill in the House.
Details of the Proposed Legislation
The development comes days after the state Cabinet approved the proposed legislation, which seeks to prohibit religious conversions allegedly carried out through force, coercion, undue influence, allurement, fraudulent means or marriage.
It was scheduled to be introduced in the state assembly.
It proposes stringent punishment, including imprisonment of up to life, a minimum fine of Rs 50,000 and compensation of up to Rs 5 lakh for victims.
The bill also stated that a marriage could be declared void if it was found to have been solemnised solely for unlawful conversion.
It prescribed enhanced punishment in cases involving minors, women, persons with disabilities or mental illness, and members of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
Widespread Opposition and Data
The bill had sparked opposition from the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party, who had argued that it could create communal disharmony in Goa.
Christian organisations said they opposed forced or fraudulent conversions but questioned the need for a separate law, arguing that such acts were already punishable under existing criminal laws.
According to government data presented in the assembly earlier this year, four cases of illegal religious conversion or attempts were registered in Goa between 2021 and 2025 - two each in 2022 and 2023, with no such cases recorded in 2021, 2024 and 2025.
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