Punjab’s sacrilege conviction rate at 7% before special session

CHANDIGARH: A decade of data from Punjab Police reveals that a staggering 92.7% of sacrilege cases fail to result in a conviction, casting doubt on the effectiveness of proposed new laws designed to crack down on religious desecration.While the state's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) govt has convened a special legislative session for April 13 to introduce stricter anti-sacrilege measures, an internal police analysis suggests the crisis lies in investigative failure rather than a lack of legal teeth.Systemic Failures ExposedThe Punjab Bureau of Investigation analysed 597 cases registered between 2015 and 2025. The findings describe a "minuscule" conviction rate of just 7.3%, with only 44 cases resulting in successful prosecution. It's claimed in the report that the primary drivers of acquittal and untraced cases include investigative gaps (delays in securing CCTV footage, improper crime scene preservation, and a lack of forensic corroboration), witness fragility (high rates of witnesses turning hostile, failing to appear, or reaching out-of-court compromises), and procedural delays (frequent transfers of investigating officers and a lack of specialised fast-track courts). The Mental Health FactorThe report states: "The cumulative analysis establishes that low conviction rates are primarily attributable to investigative gaps and evidentiary weaknesses rather than the absence of legal provisions." A significant portion of the data highlights a complex intersection between crime and psychiatry. The analysis found that between 15% and 30% of the accused were "mentally unstable" or of "unsound mind".L K Yadav, director of the Punjab Bureau of Investigation, has called for formal forensic psychiatric assessments to determine if mentally ill individuals are being manipulated by hidden conspirators. "Psychiatric assessment may assist in legal proceedings by evaluating criminal responsibility," Yadav noted, addressing concerns that vulnerable people may be used as pawns to commit acts of sacrilege.Political StakesSacrilege remains one of the most explosive issues in Punjab's political landscape, tracing back to the 2015 desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib in Bargari, which sparked state-wide unrest and fatal police firings. The AAP govt's push for a state-specific law follows unsuccessful attempts by previous administrations. ADGP Yadav argued that a more stringent law was a "need of the hour" to act as a deterrent, given that the Guru Granth Sahib is revered as a "living Guru" in Sikhism. ADGP Yadav said: "The detection rate of sacrilege cases doubled from 40% in 2015 to 80% in 2025."However, the police data warns that without correcting the "deficiencies in evidence collection" and "witness management," new legislation may struggle to overcome the existing 7.3% success rate. Of the nearly 800 identified suspects over the last decade, 495 were Sikh, 122 Hindu, and the remainder from other or unidentified groups. Of the total incidents, 480 involved Sikh scriptures and shrines, while 92 involved Hindu places of worship. MSID:: 129927981 413 |