Its adoption is parti-cularly ironic in view of the fact that the state government is led by the Congress Party, which has consistently sought to highlight its “secular” credentials. The state government claimed it was intended to prevent religious “conversions” carried out by the use of force or inducement or by fraudulent means.1 Passed into law on February 18, 2007, the act is modelled on existing anti-conversion laws in other Indian states. An analysis of the legislations reveals that the language used is often extraordinarily broad and vague, posing serious challenges to religious freedom as guaranteed by the Indian Constitution and enshrined in international human rights instruments.On December 19, 2006, the state legislative assembly of Himachal Pradesh passed the Himachal Pradesh Free-dom of Religion Bill 2006. SPECIAL ARTICLEEconomic & Political Weekly January 12, 200863Anti-Conversion Laws: Challenges to Secularism and Fundamental RightsSouth Asia Human Rights Documentation CentreAnti-conversion legislations, euphemistically called Freedom of Religion laws, adopted by several Indian states have been the subject of much scrutiny.
