JAIPUR: Governor Haribhau Bagde Wednesday granted assent to Rajasthan Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Act, 2025, passed by the state Assembly in Sept this year. Law minister Jogaram Patel said the Act had now also been notified.Putting an end to the traditional notion of ‘chat mangni-pat byaah (prompt wedding)’, the new law mandates that priests or clerics inform the district administration of inter-religious weddings they are about to officiate over, at least two months in advance. The law also says individuals getting married must inform the district magistrate at least three months in advance. Failure to adhere to these mandates will lead to penalties for “forced conversions”, including imprisonment of 7 to 14 years and fines starting at Rs 5 lakh. Penalties escalate significantly if the victim is from a protected group, such as women, minors, Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes, with jail terms of up to 20 years and fines of at least Rs 10 lakh. Mass conversions could result in life imprisonment and fines not less than Rs 25 lakh.The Act stipulates that all offences will be non-bailable and will be tried exclusively in a sessions court, with repeat offenders facing life sentences and fines of up to Rs 50 lakh. Additionally, marriages conducted solely for conversion purposes will be deemed void.This was Rajasthan govt’s second attempt at passing the anti-conversion law. An earlier legislation passed in 2008 when Vasundhara Raje was chief minister could not be enacted as it was returned by then President Pratibha Patil. In the present instance, Governor Bagde granted assent to the legislation, making a referral to the president unnecessary.Minister of state (MoS) Home, Jawahar Singh Bedham, has described the Rajasthan law as the “strictest in the country”.