Overview
- Governor Lt Gen Gurmeet Singh (Retd.) returned the UCC and Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Bills, citing technical, grammatical and drafting errors, with questions also raised over certain punishment terms.
- The Assembly passed both amendments in the Gairsain monsoon session on August 20, 2025, but they remain unenacted after being sent back on December 17 for corrections.
- Officials say the government is weighing two routes: fix the drafts and re-pass them in the House or issue an ordinance to implement the changes after incorporating corrections; some officials indicated an ordinance is likely.
- The anti-conversion amendment would raise general penalties to three to ten years, set five to fourteen years for cases involving vulnerable groups, and allow 20 years to life plus fines up to Rs 10 lakh for grave offences, while expanding who can lodge complaints and enabling property seizure.
- The returned UCC amendment and the tougher anti-conversion provisions have drawn opposition from Congress and civil-rights groups, who argue the measures target minorities, even as the government frames them as strengthening safeguards.