Raipur, March 19 -- The government on Thursday tabled the Chhattisgarh Dharm Swatantraya Vidheyak, 2026 (Freedom of Religion Bill, 2026) in the Assembly, which aims to curb religious conversions carried out through force, inducement, fraud or misrepresentation, and proposes stringent penalties, including life imprisonment in cases of "mass conversion".

The new Bill, which seeks to replace the Chhattisgarh Dharm Swatantraya Adhiniyam, 1968-adopted from Madhya Pradesh at the time of the state's formation in 2000-was introduced by deputy chief minister Vijay Sharma, who also holds the Home portfolio.

The government said the existing law-limited largely to post-conversion intimation to the district magistrate-has become inadequate in view o...