MUMBAI, March 18 -- The controversial Maharashtra Freedom of Religion Bill 2026 was passed by the legislative council on Tuesday, a day after it was cleared by the state legislative assembly. The bill was passed in the council by a voice vote but will require the governor's assent before it becomes law. The bill includes stringent provisions to curb "unlawful" religious conversions carried out through means such as coercion, fraud and inducement. Civil society groups have challenged the bill, saying it can be misused even against individuals converting of their own volition. Under the proposed law, individuals wanting to switch religions must provide 60-days' notice to the district authorities and seek their approval. It also places the burden of proof on individuals who convert to prove that their conversion was lawful in case a complaint is filed. It requires a declaration by the person who has converted, as well as individuals and institutes that organise the conversion, to the competent authority after conversion. Punishment for offenders includes a minimum jail term of seven years. The bill was tabled in the council by minister of state for home Pankaj Bhoyar. The Shiv Sena (UBT), which is part of the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), supported the bill in the upper house just as it did in the assembly. Speaking in the council, Bhoyar said that, often, the individual converting does not have the courage to complain. He said Maharashtra had no law to regulate unlawful religious conversions and many states had enacted Freedom of Religion Acts to prohibit unlawful conversions. He said children of interfaith marriages involving unlawful religious conversion would take the religion of the mother prior to the marriage. Sena (UBT) MLC Anil Parab said the government must declare the number of conversions in the last year and state what provisions of existing laws were insufficient to tackle such cases. He supported the bill. NCP (SP) member Shashikant Shinde said it is necessary to demonstrate that the bill is not against any community. Independent member Idris Naikwadi, of the ruling NCP, made a pointed observation. He asked why such a law was needed when Article 25 of the Constitution guarantees freedom of religion. People will find "escape routes" and it would be difficult to enforce the proposed law, he said. The 60-day notice period prior to conversion for inter-faith marriages would provide time to inflame sentiments, said a council member. BJP MLC Chitra Wagh said there have been cases where women have been deserted after having a child and hence there must be a provision to attach the husband's property. This can be sold to give the woman a decent living, she said. The debate on the bill extended late into the evening and most MLCs who opposed it left the council premises, when it was passed with a majority....