NEW DELHI, India — India, the world's largest democracy, allows anyone to practice any religion or to practice none at all.

But a few politicians are aiming to squash that freedom of religion.

The ruling coalition government, led by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, is about to introduce a national law that virtually prevents religious conversions among members of the lowest rungs of Hindu society — the castes called Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST). Of the 1 billion people in India, approximately 250 million fall into this category.

Government officials and the Bharatiya Janata Party have been waiting for a politically opportune time to introduce the new rule, the Change of Religion of the Members of SC/ST Regulation and Approval Rule, but it will go into effect once published in the official gazette that lists all government declarations.

The rule, framed by the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, has no approval from the Indian Parliament. The administration is waiting for the nod from India's prime minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He belongs to the Bharatiya Janata Party, which has long opposed conversion of “backward” Hindus (the lowest caste) to Christianity and Buddhism.

“This rule is not against conversion. We are just trying to regulate forcible conversion,” said Bizay Sonkar Shastri, chairman of the National Commission for SC/ST, who framed the rule. “Our aim is to ensure that secular nature and the principles of equality are not violated by conversions.”

But Christian leaders say these rules are specifically aimed at Christian missions working among the poor, tribal peoples and Dalits, the low-caste Hindus who belong to India's lowest economic and social class.

Father Peter Thuruthikkonam, chairman of the Catholic Commission on Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and Backward Christians, did not mince words in his opposition to the rule.

“We will fight this rule tooth and nail,” he said. “It is the divine order to go out and preach the message of Christ. It is people's right to choose their religion. No politician can prevent us from doing it.”

However, Father Thuruthikkonam said he was worried disunity among Indian Catholic churches could weaken opposition to the rule.

Burdensome

Once implemented, the rule will insist anyone wishing to change his or her religion must apply for an affidavit before the district collector — the executive of each district — or an equal authority. A written order granting permission then has to be procured from the official. If violated, the person could be punished with a fine of 1,000 rupees ($22) a day from the date the conversion took place.

“We are simply not going to let this happen,” said Oliver D'Souza of the All India Christian Council, an alliance of Christian denominations, mission agencies, institutions, federations, nongovernmental organizations and lay leaders. “We have to protect our constitutional right to propagate matters of faith. These restrictions truly will breach our basic rights.”

In a country where 350 million people are illiterate and 260 million fall below the poverty line, the rule demands would-be converts to undergo higher secondary education.

“This is virtually stampeding on the religious rights ensured by India's Constitution,” D'Souza said. “All sections of Christians should unite to fight this menace.”

The law recommends aspiring converts who lack the required educational qualifications be subject to a panel to “guarantee freedom of conscience of the uneducated.” The district collector is to appoint an observer for such conversions, a civil servant “belonging to the same denomination to which the said conversion is sought to be effected.”

All district collectors are expected to submit a quarterly report to the state governments and an annual report to the federal government on all religious activities related to conversion.

Observers think the move to make new laws on conversion began with a ruling of India's Supreme Court on Sept. 1. The court said there was “no fundamental right to convert” anyone from one religion to another. It further stated that authorities could impose restrictions on religious conversions.

“Even the court decision is equal to taking away our liberty,” said Bishop Anil Stephen of Lucknow, leader of the Episcopalian Church of North India. “In our little diocese, many non-Christians have come to convert to Christianity. We will continue to help them profess their faith in Jesus Christ. Conversion of faith is the matter of one's conscience. No government can play with such sublime choices of man.”

Christian leaders also demanded that the proposed rule be put to discussion in Parliament, where elected representatives can initiate a debate on the issue.

“[The National Commission for SC/ST] is showing its true colors,” D'Souza said. “By aiding the rightist Hindu rulers to prevent Dalits from leaving the Hindu fold, it has virtually turned into a national commission for fascism.”

Costly Conversions

Conversion to Christianity is a highly controversial issue in India. Last January Australian Baptist missionary Graham Stuart Staines and his two sons were burned alive by Hindu fundamentalists who accused Staines of converting tribal people.

A court recently convicted a Hindu fanatic and sentenced him to death for the crime.

The Indian states of Orissa, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu, where the Bharatiya Janata Party or its allies are in power, have also passed laws to prevent conversions. The party has long pushed all other Indian states to pass similar laws. They seek to prevent religious conversion by force or allurement and prescribe a three-year prison term and a fine of 50,000 rupees ($1,070) for violators.

If the conversion is found to be legitimate but is carried out without prior permission, the convert could serve a one-year prison sentence and pay a fine of 1,000 rupees.

The legislation follows several public events in which massive numbers of Dalits embraced Christianity or Buddhism to escape caste discrimination within Hinduism.

Joshua Newton writes from Kochi, India.