Karnataka logs 17 anti-conversion cases since 2023, no convictions yet; most end in compromise
Bengaluru: Karnataka has recorded 17 cases under the Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Act, 2022 between 2023 and 2026, with no convictions reported so far, according to figures placed before the Assembly.
Replying to a question by BJP MLC DS Arun on March 26, Home Minister G Parameshwara said three cases have been closed through ‘B’ reports while three are under police investigation and seven are pending before various courts.
Data shared by the minister showed that the highest number of cases were registered in 2023, when the Bharatiya Janata Party was in power. Of the 17 cases, 10 were filed in 2023, followed by three in 2024 and four in 2025. No cases have been registered so far in 2026.
The Indian National Congress, which assumed office in mid-2023, had promised in its election manifesto to repeal the Act. Although a draft repeal was reportedly circulated soon after the government took charge, no legislative steps have been initiated to withdraw the law.
The demand for repeal has been raised on multiple occasions. The issue figured during the 37th General Body Meeting of the Catholic Bishops Council of India, and Christian groups in Bengaluru had planned a protest ahead of the budget session beginning March 4, which was later deferred. During St Mary’s Feast in Bengaluru last year, Archbishop Peter Machado publicly urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to repeal the law. The Chief Minister had said the matter would be addressed in due course.
According to The News Minute report, district-wise data show that Bengaluru accounted for seven cases, four in 2023, one in 2024 and two in 2025, while two cases each were registered in Chitradurga and Gadag. One case each was reported from Mysuru, Haveri, Kodagu, Belagavi, Kalaburagi and Shivamogga.
The first case under the Act was registered in Bengaluru on October 13, 2022. The case was filed against a 22-year-old Muslim man accused of forcibly converting an 18-year-old Hindu woman after they allegedly eloped. On March 4, 2026, a magistrate court acquitted him after the complainant, the woman’s mother, informed the court that no forced conversion had taken place and that the parties had reached a compromise.
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36 injured as private bus plunges off bridge in Karnataka’s Shivamogga
Shivamogga (Karnataka) (PTI): Thirty-six people were injured on Monday after a private bus allegedly went out of control and plunged off a bridge in the district, police said.
The incident occurred at around 1.30 pm near Kagehalla in Veerapura village of Bhadravati taluk, they said.
According to police, the bus was travelling from Channagiri in Davanagere district to Bhadravati when the driver allegedly lost control of the vehicle near a bridge across a stream.
The bus hit the bridge’s side barrier and overturned into the stream below, which had a very low water level.
A total of 36 people, including the driver and conductor, were injured in the accident, a senior police officer said.
Of them, 25 sustained minor injuries and were shifted to a nearby hospital for treatment, he added.
A case has been registered at the Bhadravati Rural police station, and further investigation is underway, police said.
