Chapter I PRELIMINARY

General202631 sections6 chapters

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1. Short title, extent and commencement

Statutory text

(1) This Act may be called the Chhattisgarh Dharma Swatantrya Adhiniyam, 2026.
(2) It extends to the whole State of Chhattisgarh.
(3) It shall come into force on such date as the State Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, appoints and different dates may be appointed for different provisions of this Act.

Chapter I PRELIMINARY

2. Definitions

Statutory text

(1) In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,-
- (a) "Allurement" means to offer any enticing in any form, including,-
  - (i) any gift or gratification either in cash or kind; or
  - (ii) grant of any material benefit either monetary or otherwise; or
  - (iii) employment, subsidy, free education in school, medical facility; or
  - (iv) promise to marry; or
  - (v) better lifestyle; or
  - (vi) portraying practice, rituals and ceremonies or any part of any religion in a detrimental way vis-à-vis other religions; or
  - (vii) glorifying one religion against another religion.
- (b) "Coercion" means compelling any person to act against his will by the use of psychological pressure or physical force causing bodily injury or threat thereof;
- (c) "Competent Authority" for the purposes of this Act means District Magistrate or any officer not below the rank of Additional District Magistrate specially authorized by District Magistrate;
- (d) "Conversion" for the purposes of this Act, means renouncing one's own faith or religion and adopting another religion by any person; and includes,-
  - (i) ceasing to perform native customary practices, including rituals related to birth, marriage and death and replacing them with rituals of another religion; or
  - (ii) renouncing or ceasing the worship of traditional and/or ancestral deities, including discontinuing prayers, rituals, festivals or other customary practices associated with their veneration by adopting and practicing beliefs or faith's alien to one's native religious tradition, thereby willfully abandoning one's customary practices; or
  - (iii) accepting a religion of a different origin, that provides for proselytization or otherwise as part of its theology; or
  - (iv) practicing an alien faith or religion while ceasing to adhere to one's traditional beliefs and simultaneously claiming to remain non-converted. Explanation:- If any person reverts to their ancestral religion or faith, such reversion shall not be deemed as conversion under this Act.
- (e) "Conversion ceremony" refers to ritual or formal process making an individual's transition or conversion from one faith or belief system to another:
- (f) "Digital mode" means and includes, social media networking sites, applications, websites and the other electronic modes;
- (g) "Force" shall include a show of force as defined in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (No. 45 of 2023) or a threat of injury of any kind including threat of social excommunication;
- (h) "Mass conversion" means two or more persons are converted from one faith or religion to another religion in the same ceremony;
  - (i) "Misrepresentation" means and includes statement of fact by words or actions, which is untrue or misleading, made knowingly as to its truth, with the intention to induce a person to convert their faith or religion;
- (j) "Person" shall include an individual or any company or association or body of individuals, whether incorporated or not and their agent, attorney, representative, assignee or any other person acting on their behalf;
- (k) "Prescribe" means prescribed by rules made under this Act and the expression "prescribed" shall be construed accordingly;
- (l) "Religion" means the religion declared and defined under any law or custom for the time being in force;
- (m) "Religious Convertor/Proselytizer" means a person or agent of any religion or faith who performs any act of conversion from one faith or religion to another religion and is registered with Competent Authority :
- (n) "Scheduled Tribes" shall have the meaning assigned to them under clause
(25) of Article 366 of the Constitution of India;
- (o) "Undue Influence" means the use of a position of authority, trust or power, arising from a fiduciary relationship, real or apparent authority or other similar circumstances, to dominate the will of another person and induce such person to act contrary to their free will or best interests, with the intent to secure an unfair benefit or advantage;
- (p) "Unlawful Conversion" means any conversion not in accordance with the provisions of this Act;
- (q) "Victim" means any person or their parents, siblings, spouse, children or any other individual related to them by blood, marriage or adoption who is being and has been subjected to unlawful conversion prescribed under this Act.
(2) Words and expressions used herein and not defined but defined in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (No. 45 of 2023), the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (No. 46 of 2023), and The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 (No. 33 of 1989), The General Clauses Act, 1897 (No. 10 of 1897); and any other law applicable in the State of Chhattisgarh, shall have the meanings respectively assigned to them in those Codes/Acts.

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