Vidhi Codex

The Odisha Freedom of Religion Act, 1967

The Odisha Freedom of Religion Act, 1967

General19677 sections

The Orissa Freedom of Religion Act, 1967 regulates religious conversions across the state of Orissa by prohibiting any person from converting or attempting to convert another individual through force, fraud, or financial or material inducement. It applies to all individuals within the state and aims to prevent deceptive or coercive religious changes. Violators face up to one year of imprisonment or a fine, with harsher penalties enforced if the conversion involves a minor, a woman, or a person from a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe. This law matters because it criminalizes coercive proselytization while establishing specific procedural safeguards for police investigations and prosecutions.

Start reading →Read full ActSections
  1. 1. Short title, extent and commencement
  2. 2. Definitions
  3. 3. Prohibition of forcible conversion
  4. 4. Punishment for contravention of the provisions of section 3
  5. 5. Offence to be cognizable
  6. 6. Prosecution to be made with sanction of Magistrate
  7. 7. Power to make rules

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