The Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Forcible Conversion of Religion Act, 2002
The Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Forcible Conversion of Religion Act, 2002
This Act prohibited religious conversions in Tamil Nadu achieved through force, monetary allurements, or fraudulent means. It applied to anyone attempting, assisting, or performing conversions, requiring religious priests to report all conversion ceremonies to the local District Magistrate. Violations carried prison term sentences and fines, with harsher punishments for converting women, minors, or marginalized communities. This legislation mattered because it criminalized induced conversions under the goal of protecting various vulnerable groups. However, it also placed their personal religious decisions under state oversight by mandating official reporting, thereby directly impacting individual religious freedom and local community relations within the southern state.
- 1. Short title and commencement.
- 2. Definitions
- 3. Prohibition of forcible conversion
- 4. Punishment for contravention of provisions of section 3
- 5. Intimation to be given to District Magistrate with respect to conversion
- 6. Prosecution to be made with the sanction of District Magistrate
- 7. Power to make rules.
- 8. Repeal and saving.
PDF: pending for this language.