By CNBCTV18.com
As many as 283 cases of alleged ‘love jihad’ have been registered between January 1, 2020, and July 15, 2025, in Madhya Pradesh. This data was shared in response to a question raised in the assembly on Tuesday by BJP MLA Ashish Govind Sharma. It revealed that the cases were filed under the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act, 2021, which came into force on Mar 27, 2021.
The first five years of the state’s stringent anti-religious conversion law, often dubbed the anti-Love Jihad law, saw more acquittals than convictions. According to the data, 197, nearly 70%, of the 283 reported cases are still pending in various courts, while in 86, or 30%, of the cases, the accused have been acquitted, convicted, or police investigations are still ongoing.
Out of the 86 cases, the accused were acquitted in 50 cases (58%), while they were convicted and sentenced by courts in only seven cases (7%).
During the state assembly, Sharma asked CM Mohan Yadav, “How many cases of ‘love jihad’ have come into cognisance in MP since 2020?” In his written query, he asked, “Out of these, in how many incidents have reports been registered in police stations? How many of these cases involved boys and girls under 18 years? How many cases are ongoing in courts?”
In response to the question, the CM said that the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act, 2021, authorises the state to take action against forceful or deceptive religious conversions, especially those targeting vulnerable women and girls. The police headquarters established a state-level special investigation team on May 4 to look into such events, reported The Times of India.
As per the district-wise classification of cases, Indore recorded the highest number of ‘love jihad‘ cases at 74, followed by Bhopal with 33 cases. These two cities account for 40% of the total cases in Madhya Pradesh. Other cities with a significant number of cases include Khandwa (12), Ujjain (12) and Chhatarpur (11).
This story was originally published in cnbctv18.com. Read the full story here.