In a shocking turn of events, on January 17, 2025, a special court in Uttar Pradesh’s Ambedkar Nagar handed down a five-year prison sentence to a Christian couple, Pastor Jose Pappachan and Sheeja Pappachan, for their alleged crime of forced religious conversion. However, their offence? Engaging with Dalit families in Shahapur Firoz, urging them to shun the addiction of alcohol and adopt a more reformed way of life—a crime now punishable under India’s increasingly draconian anti-conversion laws. Alongside the prison term, the court had also slapped them with a Rs 2,000 fine each, in what appeared to be an attempt to further cement their “wrongdoing”. However, On Feb 7, in a swift and commendable move, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court not only agreed to hear the matter but also granted bail to the couple. This is not an isolated case. A few months earlier, on September 26, 2024, three others—Balchand Jaisawar, Gopal Prajapati, and one unnamed individual—were convicted under the UP Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021, receiving prison terms ranging from three months to six years for engaging in mass conversions. As India edges closer to a legal stranglehold on religious choice, other states are following

The Christian community finds itself grappling with increasing threats to its existence and rights. Recent developments in Arunachal Pradesh, one of India’s most diverse and remote regions, have raised serious concerns among human rights advocates and religious organizations alike. The government’s decision to enforce a dormant anti-conversion law from 1978 and ongoing calls to strip Christian converts of their Scheduled Tribe status reflect a broader strategy to curtail the growth of Christianity among tribal populations. Anti-Conversion Law: A Long-Dormant Threat Revived Arunachal Pradesh, home to 26 major tribes and over 100 sub-tribes, is a melting pot of religious and cultural diversity. However, the state’s anti-conversion law, dormant for decades, is set to be enforced in 2025. Originally enacted to curb religious conversions “by force, inducement, or fraudulent means,” the law has resurfaced in a context where Christians make up over 30% of the state’s population, closely followed by Hindus and adherents of indigenous faiths. Critics argue that such laws, though framed in neutral language, are weaponized to target Christians and Muslims. The legislation requires anyone converting to another religion to report the act to local authorities, opening the door to potential harassment. Pastors and evangelists could face severe penalties, including up to ten