Jaipur, Sept. 10 -- The Rajasthan Assembly on Tuesday passed the Rajasthan Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Bill, 2025 by voice vote, introducing stringent provisions including punishment of up to life imprisonment and a fine of up to Rs.50 lakh. The Congress boycotted the debate, with its legislators staging protests during the discussion. Following the passage of the bill, the House was adjourned till Wednesday. Home minister Jawahar Singh Bedham tabled the bill stating that the legislation seeks to curb religious conversions carried out through fraudulent or coercive means. He said the bill aims to prevent conversion by "misrepresentation, misinformation, force, undue influence, coercion, allurement, online solicitation or by marriage or pretext of marriage," and covers related matters as well. Bedham said that while the Constitution grants every individual the right to choose their faith, it does not permit anyone to infringe upon another's religious sentiments. The bill was earlier tabled on February 3 but was not passed and later the bill was revised with some major amendments and passed on Tuesday. The bill defines unlawful conversion as any attempt to change a person's religion through misrepresentation, misinformation, coercion, undue influence, allurement, online solicitation, marriage or pretext of marriage, or any other fraudulent means including propaganda. For general offences, the punishment will range from a minimum of seven years to fourteen years of imprisonment, along with a fine of at least Rs.5 lakh. Stricter provisions apply when the victim is a minor, woman, person with disability, or belongs to Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes, with punishment extending from 10 to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of at least Rs.10 lakh. The bill further stipulates that mass conversions will attract a minimum sentence of twenty years, extendable to life imprisonment, along with a fine of not less than Rs.25 lakh. Those found receiving foreign funds from foreign or illegal institutions for conversions face ten to twenty years in jail and fines of Rs.20 lakh. Repeat offenders may be sentenced to life imprisonment and fined up to Rs.50 lakh. The bill also allows for forfeiture of properties where conversions take place. However, " the return of any person already converted to his original religion i.e ancestral religion shall not be deemed conversion (any offence under the act)". Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh already have anti-conversion laws in place....