Chhattisgarh's new anti-conversion law reaches the High Court.

International Christian Concern (ICC) reported on October 13, 2026 that the Chhattisgarh High Court heard a petition on October 8 challenging the state's new religious freedom law. The Legislative Assembly passed the law in March, the Governor signed it in April, and it replaced a 1968 act. The court gave the state government three weeks to respond. The report does not give a date for the next hearing.

What the law provides

According to ICC, the text tightens the rules on changing religion and reverses who has to prove what.

• Advance notice: anyone who wants to change faith must notify the district magistrate 30 days beforehand.
• "Mass conversion": the term now applies to two or more people, with penalties from 10 years' imprisonment to life.
• Arrest without a warrant: the offenses are non-bailable, and police can arrest on a third party's unverified complaint.
• Burden of proof: the accused must prove their innocence.

What the petitioners argue

The petition was filed on behalf of civil rights advocates and minority Christian leaders. They say the law violates privacy, personal liberty and the freedom of conscience guaranteed by Article 25 of the Constitution. Public notice exposes converts to community pressure, and even routine church practices, such as baptizing siblings or a whole family, could lead to prosecution. Lawmakers answer that the law exists to stop fraudulent or forced conversions.

Why it matters

In the state's tribal areas, ICC reports Christian families boycotted for refusing to renounce their faith: shut out of public handpumps, excluded from government employment schemes and barred from gathering forest produce. Local groups have even blocked Christians from burying their dead in village graveyards. For these neighbors, a law that makes complaints easier weighs even more.