Panaji: Goa government will table anti-religious conversion Bill during the upcoming Session of the legislative Assembly beginning from August 31.
The State cabinet held on Wednesday has passed tiled as the Goa Prohibition of Unlawful Conversions of Religion Bill, 2026, a senior government officer said.
The three-day-long Goa Assembly Session will start on August 31 and culminate on September 2.
The Bill provides stringent penalties for religious conversions allegedly carried out through force, coercion, undue influence , allurement, fraudulent means or marriage.
The draft of the Bill which was passed in the state cabinet provides for imprisonment of up to the end of life, fines of at least Rs 50,0000 and compensation of up to Rs five lakh to the victim.
The senior officer said that the proposed Bill also seeks to declare the marriage as “void” if it is found that it is done only for the purpose of religious conversion.
He said that the offenders including priests including that of Hindu religion, maulavis or mullas, could face imprisonment of not less than ten years.
Further, he said, that if a person who is converted is a minor, person disability, a woman, or a member of the Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes the punishment for converting them unlawfully would be rigorous punishment from five to fourteen years along with a fine of minimum Rs one lakh.
