Religion conversion: How to change religion legally in India? Do you know what is the most beautiful thing about our India?
The beautiful thing is that in our country India, people of different religions, speaking different languages, having different traditions and costumes, live together in brotherhood and this diversity is a very beautiful aspect of our country.
Because in our country India, there are exclusive settlements of different religions, hence conversion of religion is a common thing here. And that is why the government of our country India gives us this right that we can choose the religion of our choice and become followers of that religion.
The law regarding the right to convert is mentioned in Article 25 of our Constitution and according to this article any person has the right to choose the religion of his choice and become a follower of that religion and follow that religion.
There can be many reasons for religion conversion, some of the main reasons are as follows :
- Marriage
- Adoption
- Personal beliefs and decision
Apart from this, there can be many other reasons for religion change.
But converting someone’s religion by force for financial gain or in any other wrong way is a legal offence and strict legal action can be taken against the person doing so.
How to change religion legally in India?
To change religion in India, an application has to be submitted and after submitting the application, there is a waiting period of a few days. The period during which the officials scrutinize and verify all the documents submitted by you and confirm that the applicant has submitted all the required and correct documents.
And after that, a notification of conversion to this effect is issued in the National Gazette.
Now this question will arise in your mind that what is this National Gazette?
The National Gazette is an online record of the Government of India which is published by the Government of India and maintained by the Government of India.
This process definitely takes some time but it is a well organized government process.
You can easily apply online for this process of Religion change.
This will also give you an advantage that after the completion of this process and after the Gazette notification is issued, you can download a copy of it online for future use from the official government website.
Religion Change process in India
Here the process of Religion change is explained step by step.
1. Affidavit for religion conversion
Preparing the affidavit is the first step in the process of Religion change. The Religion change affidavit is mandatory because the new religion that the person has adopted must be reflected on all major government documents and identity cards.
And as you all know that an affidavit is a legal document and that is why this affidavit is made on stamp paper. This affidavit contains the name of the applicant, the previous religion of the applicant, the permanent address of the applicant and the new religion adopted by him. All these important and important information should be written.
The applicant should get this affidavit notarized by a registered notary public only.
2. Newspaper advertisement for religion change
Giving advertisement of Religion change in newspaper is the second step of the process and is also very important. You will have to give an advertisement regarding Religion conversion in a widely read newspaper in which the following information will have to be given clearly –
- Name of applicant
- Address
- Religion conversion (details of former religion and new religion)
The applicant will have to give all this information clearly in his advertisement. This stage of response to Religion conversion is necessary to confirm that no fraud or illegality is being committed under the guise of Religion conversion, or whether anyone has any objection to this Religion change. And this advertisement also confirms that this is not a forced Religion change.
The applicant should also retain a copy of the advertisement for future use.
3. Publication in Gazette of Religion Conversion
Publication in the Gazette is an online record-keeping system published by the Central Government and is the final stage of the process. After this stage, the process of conversion of the applicant’s religion is almost complete.
After the applicant has filed the Gazette application, the application is verified by the concerned government department. And it is confirmed that all the documents and information given are correct.
If all the information and documents given are found correct then this declaration of Religion conversion is accepted. And notification to this effect is published in the e-Gazette.
CALL for File Making Process: 98771-24221
How much time does the religion conversion process take?
It may take approximately 45 to 60 days for the response to be completed after the applicant has applied for Religionconversion notification.
The time taken for the process depends on many factors, mainly the verification of documents and information and the workload of the concerned department.
Documents for gazette notification
The documents required for Gazette Notification are listed below –
- Religion conversion certificate by Temple/Mosque/Gurudwara.
- Original affidavit attested by SDM.
- Original advertisements given in newspapers for Religion conversion.
- Self-attested photocopy of identity card.
- Passport photo (self attested).
- Two Witnesses
- A CD which contains all the information related to the application.
- Government fee receipt for applying for Religion conversion.
Religion Conversion Certificate format in Gazette notification
I, YOUR NAME D/o FATHER NAME, R/o House No. C-113 F/F, XXXXX, XXXXX, West Delhi, Delhi-110018, declare that I have embraced ISLAM Religion and renounced HINDU Religion w.e.f. 23.01.2024. It is certified that I have complied with other legal requirements in this connection.
YOUR NAME
[Signature]
So, the above-given matter in inverted commas is the religion change certificate format which gets published in Gazette of India.
Documents required for religion change certificate
For your help, information about all the documents required for religion conversion has been written in the manner listed below –
- Affidavit written on stamp paper of minimum value of Rs 10/-.
- Copy of the newspaper in which the advertisement for religion change conversion was published.
- 2 passport-size photographs
- Original form of conversion letter from whatever religious place is concerned.
- Presence of the applicant and 2 witnesses duly signed proforma (in printed form)
- A request letter for authorization along with the registration fee
- Photocopy of a valid identity card in which you can use any of the following valid photo IDs
PAN card
Aadhar card
Passport
Voter ID card.
Keep in mind that religion change is a legal and valid process but it is necessary to follow all the legal limits and there should not be any kind of fraud or coercion in it.
At the same time, it is also worth keeping in mind that the law should be followed and one should not get trapped in any kind of greed or illegal behavior.
Conversion of religion is a legal process and the government has made this process easy for our convenience so that any person, if necessary, can freely and legally convert to the religion of his choice.
At the same time, we should respect the dignity of every religion and the diversity of India, this is the duty of every citizen.
CALL for File Making Process: 98771-24221
Anti conversion law in India
If someone forces you to change or convert your religion against your consent and free will then such act is illegal and crime in Indian Law. The Constitution of India provides freedom to adopt and worship any religion of their choice and no one can interrupt them or forced them to stop doing so.
General cases which are getting reported nowadays are like someone forcing their partner to change his/her religion on the pretext of getting married or some other kind of greed. Such kind of activities are unconstitutional and doing so is a violation of their fundamental rights.
Article 25 of the Indian constitution provides,
Freedom of conscience and free profession, practice and propagation of religion
Subject to public order, morality and health and to the other provisions of this Part, all persons are equally entitled to freedom of conscience and the right freely to profess, practise and propagate religion.
Conversion to Hindu Religion
Conversion to Hindu religion is a very easy process because according to the laws and religious information of Hindu religion, there is no clear process of conversion to Hindu religion. To adopt Hindu religion, your will power, honesty and intention are necessary.
For conversion to Hinduism, a person has to submit a signed application in the presence of 2 witnesses. In which certificate of the person’s valid age and address will have to be given as well as a signed application in which it is written that the person wishes to convert to Hindu religion.
Application for conversion to Hindu religion can be given in any Arya Samaj temple. And in this process of religion change the applicant has to go through religious processes like purification and purification rituals.
After going through all these steps and reactions, the person is given a certificate of conversion.
Conversion to Islam
The method for conversion to Islam has been explained religiously. There are mainly two ways in which conversion to Islam can be done, which are as follows :
Conversion to Islam through ceremony
In such a conversion, the person who wants to embrace Islam should go to the mosque and in the mosque the Imam of the mosque will ask that person to repeat the testimony of faith (Kalma). The person will then be given a Muslim name of his or her choice and this information will be recorded in the Imam’s register.
Conversion to Islam through declaration
As the name suggests, this type of conversion requires a person to publicly declare that he or she has accepted Islam with full devotion and sincerity, and that the person has renounced his or her previous religion, and Now the person will have to believe and declare that there is no GOD except Allah and Hazrat Mohammad S.A.W is his prophet and the person will have to have full faith in the Holy Quran. This faith is called Iman in the religion of Islam.
Conversion to Christianity
To convert to Christianity, a person must believe in Jesus, renounce his old religion, seek forgiveness for his past sins, and promise not to commit any more sins and convert to Christianity. To convert to Christianity the person must be baptized.
What is baptism – It is a religious process in Christianity. It involves a public identification with Jesus by immersion in water and is considered a symbol of death, burial and resurrection.
This baptism is also given to children born in the Christian religion.
Conclusion
The beauty of the Constitution of India is that it gives equal rights to every citizen of India and provides complete freedom. Article 15 of the Constitution provides every citizen of India the freedom to change religion as per his choice. But religion conversion is a legal process designed for our safety and freedom and we must take full care of its legality.
Laws are made for the protection and rights of the individual.
Since religion change is a legal process, you can take the help of a good Advocate who will help you in applying correctly and completing the document process.
