Anti-sacrilege Bill tabled in Punjab assembly special session
Chief minister Bhagwant Mann introduced the Punjab Prevention of Offences Against Holy Scriptures Bill 2025 in the Vidhan Sabha on the third day of the special assembly session.
Leader of opposition and Congress MLA Partap Singh Bajwa described the sacrilege issue as serious one and urged Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan to hold the discussion on the Bill on Tuesday, the concluding day of the session.
Before the start of the session at 2pm, the state-specific Bill was cleared by the cabinet at a meeting chaired by chief minister Mann at his official residence in Chandigarh.
The Bill mandates strict punishment, extending up to life imprisonment, for the desecration of holy scriptures, including Sri Guru Granth Sahib, the Bhagavad Gita, Bible and Quran, an official spokesperson said after the meeting.
With the enactment of the law, the state seeks to further strengthen the ethos of communal harmony, brotherhood, peace, and amity. It will also act as a strong deterrent against anti-social and anti-national activities by ensuring severe punishment for perpetrators, said the spokesperson.
The spokesperson said there have been numerous incidents in the past involving the sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib and other scriptures, wounding public sentiments and causing unrest in society.
While Sections 298, 299 and 300 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, address such issues, they do not prescribe sufficiently stringent penalties to serve as an effective deterrent, said the spokesperson.
Considering the gravity of such offences and the imperative to preserve communal harmony and religious sanctity, the cabinet found it necessary to introduce state-specific legislation providing enhanced penalties, including life imprisonment, for those convicted of sacrilege against any scripture.
Consulting stakeholders
Until now, no specific legislation directly addressed offences against 'holy granths', often resulting in leniency or evasion of serious action by culprits, said the spokesperson.
This new legislation aims to fill that legal void by criminalising and prescribing punishments for acts of sacrilege across all sects and faiths.
Under the proposed law, any person found guilty of sacrilege may face imprisonment ranging from 10 years to life. Those attempting the offence may be sentenced to three to five years, while individuals found abetting the crime will be punished in accordance with the offence committed.
There is also a provision for setting up special courts to deal with cases pertaining to desecration of scriptures. There will be no parole for those guilty of sacrilege acts.
Mann had earlier said that the state government would seek the opinion of all stakeholders and religious bodies for the proposed legislation, indicating it would not be enacted immediately. 'We are drafting it. A law is going to be enacted. But for this, we will talk to stakeholders, religious organisations. We will present the draft legislation (in the assembly).'
Past attempts
This is not the first time that a law is being brought in the state for stricter punishment for perpetrators of sacrilege acts.
In 2016, the then SAD-BJP government brought in the IPC (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2016 and CrPC (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2016, recommending life sentence for sacrilege acts against Guru Granth Sahib. The Centre later returned the Bill, saying all religions should be treated equally given the secular nature of the Constitution.
In 2018, the Amarinder Singh government had passed two Bills --the Indian Penal Code (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2018, and the Code of Criminal Procedure (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2018, which stipulated a punishment of up to life imprisonment for injury, damage or sacrilege to Guru Granth Sahib, Bhagavad Gita, Quran and the Bible.
However, the two Bills did not get the President's assent.
Acts of sacrilege against religious scriptures has been an emotive issue in Punjab and there has been a demand from various quarters for stringent punishment for the acts of sacrilege against religious texts.
The incident related to the theft of a 'bir' (copy) of Guru Ganth Sahib from Burj Jawahar Singh Wala gurdwara, putting up handwritten sacrilegious posters in Bargari and Burj Jawahar Singh Wala and torn pages of the holy book found scattered at Bargari, had taken place in Faridkot in 2015. These incidents had led to anti-sacrilege protests. In the police firing on anti-sacrilege protesters in October 2015, two persons were killed in Behbal Kalan while some persons were injured at Kotkapura in Faridkot.
Regulating crusher units
Meanwhile, the Cabinet also granted approval to the Punjab Regulation of Crusher Units, and Stockists and Retailer Rules, 2025, to ensure that crusher units, stockists, and retailers operate within a regulated framework. These rules have been formulated pursuant to the Punjab Regulation of Crusher Units, and Stockists and Retailer Act, 2025, which was enacted to prevent the procurement of illegally mined sand and gravel by crusher units.
The new rules define detailed procedures, prescribed forms, timelines, authorities, and compliance mechanisms to facilitate effective, transparent, and accountable implementation of the Act. They aim to eliminate ambiguity in operational processes, prevent royalty evasion and illegal mineral trade, and promote environmentally sustainable and legally compliant business operations. Furthermore, these regulations are expected to enhance transparency and curb illegal mining practices across the state.
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