Punjab’s anti-sacrilege bill set to become law as guv gives assent

Chandigarh: Punjab governor Gulab Chand Kataria has given his assent to ‘The Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Bill 2026', paving the way for its enactment as law in the state. The legislation provides for stringent penalties, including life imprisonment, for sacrilege of the Guru Granth Sahib.Following the governor's nod on April 17, Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann, on Sunday shared a copy of the governor-signed assent page of the bill on X, and posted, "Now this bill has become law. Immensely thankful to Waheguru (Almighty) for taking this service from a humble person like me. Gratitude to the entire sangat." The bill was passed unanimously by the Punjab assembly during a special session on April 13. A notification will mark the commencement of the Act. According to the Act, offences against the Guru Granth Sahib carry a minimum of seven years of imprisonment, extending to 20 years, with a fine of up to Rs 10 lakh. Sacrilege involving criminal conspiracy and an intention to disrupt peace or communal harmony carries a minimum of 10 years to life imprisonment, with fines up to Rs 25 lakh. Desecration of Sikh religious texts other than Guru Granth Sahib is punishable by up to five years in prison, with a fine up to Rs 10 lakh. Under the Act, the investigation of sacrilege cases will be conducted by an officer not below the rank of a deputy superintendent of police or assistant commissioner of police. The Act also defines sacrilege broadly, covering physical acts like burning or tearing, as well as spoken, written, or electronic representations intended to hurt religious sentiments. All offences are classified as cognisable, non-bailable, and non-compoundable, triable by the sessions court. The Act bars any person from printing, publication, storage, distribution or supply of saroops of Guru Granth Sahib, other than the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) or anybody authorised by it, "with a view to ensure their sanctity and respect in accordance with the Sikh Rehat Maryada". According to the Act, SGPC will maintain a central registry, both in physical and electronic form, containing details with regard to the record of printing, storage, distribution and supply of saroops of Guru Granth Sahib. This legislation comes a decade after initial attempts by then SAD-BJP led govt in Punjab in March 2016. It passed a bill which proposed amendments in the central law and the erstwhile provisions of IPC and CrPC, proposing life term for the offenders of sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib. The bill, which was necessitated after the Oct 2015 sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib in Bargari village and subsequent firing incidents in Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan that left two protestors dead, was returned by Centre on the grounds that any single religion cannot be singled out due to the secular nature of the Constitution. After change of guard in Punjab, when Congress formed the govt and Capt Amarinder Singh took over as the CM, the Punjab assembly passed IPC and CrPC amendment bill in Aug 2018, which, in addition to Guru Granth Sahib, proposed life imprisonment for sacrilege of Gita, Quran and Bible as well. The bill remains pending with the President. Meanwhile, a Punjab assembly select committee headed by AAP MLA Inderbir Singh Nijjar is examining a broader Punjab Prevention of Offences Against Holy Scriptures Bill 2025. Its draft provides for a minimum 10 years to life imprisonment for sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib or extracts thereof, including Pothis and Gutka Sahib, and Gita, Quran and Bible. The panel, formed in July 2025 after the bill was introduced in the assembly, received a six-month extension on April 13. MSID:: 130370422 413 |