Legal Thresholds on Religious Conversions in India

The Indian debate over religious conversion has been going on for centuries. However, mutual understanding between conversion supporters and opponents has not advanced much. Religious conversion has become the subject of passionate debate in contemporary India. From the early 20th century onwards, it has surfaced again and again in the political realm, in the media, and in the courts. During the last few decades, the dispute has attained a new climax in the plethora of newspapers, journals, and books whose pages have been devoted to the question of conversion. Apparently, a large group of Indians considers this to be an issue of crucial import to the future of their country. This paper examines the issue of religious conversion in the light of existing constitutional provisions, judicial pronouncements, and secularism.