The Chhattisgarh government passed the Dharma Swatantraya Vidheyak 2026 (Freedom of Religion Bill 2026), aimed at preventing religious conversions through force or fraud, and introducing life imprisonment for mass conversions. Tabled by Deputy CM Vijay Sharma, it was cleared after debate amid Congress boycott. It replaces 1968 law adopted from Madhya Pradesh when the state was carved out in 2000.