Is apostasy illegal in India?
Legal
No federal law criminalizes apostasy in India, though social hostility exists.
India is one of 12 countries classified “Legal” for apostasy — 39% of the 31 with data. (Also searched as leaving a religion.)
Source
- Taken from
- Wikipedia: Apostasy in Islam by country
- Last checked
- 17 September 2026
- How it was classified
- Classified by a language model from the source text, then checked against hand-verified reference countries.
Nearby countries
- Bangladesh
- Legal Apostasy is not a criminal offense in Bangladesh, though social persecution occurs.
- Pakistan
- Criminal offense Apostasy is a criminal offence under hudood law per the Federal Shariat Court, despite lack of statutory enactment.
- Afghanistan
- Death penalty possible Apostasy is a crime punishable by death under Hanafi jurisprudence applied by Afghan courts.
- Maldives
- Death penalty possible A new regulation revived the death penalty for apostasy, applicable to persons aged seven and older.
- Oman
- Criminal offense Oman lacks an explicit apostasy law, but personal status laws annul marriages and deny inheritance rights to apostates.
- United Arab Emirates
- Death penalty possible Apostasy is a hudud crime in the Penal Code, punishable by death, though no executions have been recorded.
Other laws in India
- Blasphemy Laws
- Criminal offense
- Holocaust Denial
- No specific law
- Flag Desecration
- Criminal offense
- Conversion Therapy
- Partial ban
A visual reference compiled from Wikipedia’s law-by-country articles, not legal advice. Laws change and summaries simplify — check a primary source before relying on anything here.