Maharashtra anti-conversion law cases: One arrested, British national gets ad interim anticipatory bail

Two separate offences were registered under the Maharashtra Freedom of Religion Act, 2026, bringing the number of cases under the new anti-conversion law to two. A 21-year-old man has been arrested in one case, while a British national received ad-interim anticipatory bail in the other. The first case, registered on August 5, involves a 45-year-old man from Uttar Pradesh who lodged a complaint about his 17-year-old daughter's disappearance.

The 21-year-old man accused of allegedly sexually abusing her and attempting her religious conversion has been arrested and is currently in police custody. In the second case, filed on August 9 at Khadak police station, a British national named Pankaj Devnoor was booked based on a complaint by a 31-year-old rickshaw driver. Devnoor is accused of spreading misconceptions about Hindu religion and attempting to lure people into religious conversion during a program in Guruwar Peth area.

His legal representative, Advocate Vijaysingh Thombre, moved the court for ad-interim anticipatory bail, which was granted by the court. Devnoor has been instructed to appear before the investigation officer when summoned and is barred from leaving the country without court permission.