USCIRF Releases New Report on India’s State-Level Anti-Conversion Laws

Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released the following new report:

India’s State-Level Anti-Conversion Laws – This issue update examines the common features of India’s 12 state-level anti-conversion laws and explains how those features are inconsistent with international human rights law. Common features of these laws include prohibitions on conversions, notifying the government of one’s intent to convert, and burden-shifting provisions that presume an individual accused of violating an anti-conversion law is guilty. Each of these features violates rights protected by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The report concludes that repealing India’s state-level anti-conversion laws is necessary to comply with international human rights law and to help prevent the country’s poor religious freedom conditions from further deteriorating.

In its 2022 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the U.S. Department of State designate India as a country of particular concern (CPC) for its particularly severe violations of religious freedom. USCIRF also published a 2022 country update on religious freedom conditions in India and a Spotlight Podcast episode on anti-conversion laws and growing intolerance in India.

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The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on religious freedom abroad. USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion and belief. To interview a commissioner, please contact USCIRF at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.