Karnataka's Christian and Muslim leaders press Congress to repeal BJP-era laws before December session

Christian and Muslim leaders in Bengaluru have demanded that Karnataka's Congress government repeal two laws passed under the BJP: the Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Act, 2022, and the Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Act, 2020. They also want the Karnataka Hate Speech and Hate Crimes (Prevention) Bill, 2025 brought into force.

Archbishop of Bangalore Peter Machado and Mohammed Yahya Damudi, convener of the Karnataka Rajya Muslim Okkoota, spoke to the media together, ThePrint reported on 31 October. Machado said minorities would not accept watered-down versions. Told that the government might "tailor" the cattle law a little, he replied, "I am sorry (but) I am not satisfied." He added, "But the snake is still a frightening thing for us."

The promise and the delay

The Congress manifesto of 2023 promised to repeal "all unjust and other anti-people laws" passed by the BJP government within a year of coming to power, The News Minute reported. Then Chief Minister Siddaramaiah repeated the promise after his first Cabinet meeting on 20 May 2023.

Outlook reported that the government began the process but backed down after Hindu seers collectively opposed it. Machado said the Congress had attributed the delay to a lack of numbers in the Legislative Council. ThePrint put the Congress at 38 of 75 council seats before the MLC polls of 23 October.

ThePrint also cited unnamed people aware of the developments as saying the party was wary of a backlash among Hindu voters.

What the anti-conversion law does

The Act, passed on 9 September 2022 by the Basavaraj Bommai government, aims to stop conversion by force, allurement or fraud, with jail terms of up to 10 years and fines of Rs 1 lakh, according to ThePrint. A person who wants to convert must apply to the District Collector.

The News Minute, citing RTI data, reported 46 cases in the state since the law was passed, 25 of them in the three years of Congress rule. Twenty-seven allege attempted conversion to Christianity and 12 are against Muslims, while seven are not publicly accessible. In one case from Jamkhandi, three Muslim men were booked for distributing pamphlets near a temple. The Karnataka High Court quashed it in July 2025, saying "there is no allegation that the petitioners converted or attempted to convert."

Groups opposing the law say it infringes Article 25 of the Constitution. We did not find a BJP or JD(S) statement on the latest demand in the reports we read.

What the government says

The signals have been mixed. In September, an unnamed cabinet minister told ThePrint that the government "will move to repeal the act" now that it has a council majority, and ThePrint reported that state Congress chief B.K. Hariprasad said it would definitely be repealed.

In October, Outlook quoted an unnamed minister as saying, "There is no pressure on us. The Law Department will take a call on it." Minority Affairs Minister U.T. Khader told Outlook the government "is positively thinking about it," but could not be reached by ThePrint for its 31 October report.

What comes next

Machado said the government has assured the community that bills will come up in the winter session at Belagavi in December. Shabeer Ahmed of the Okkoota's steering committee told Outlook, "The Winter Session would be the last possible window." A spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Bangalore said joint protests were planned in November and at district centres, though no date has been reported.

The Hate Speech Bill is stuck elsewhere. Outlook reported that the Governor referred it to the President, and that the Union Home Ministry has held it up on the ground that existing provisions are adequate.