Latest news with #PunjabPreventionofOffencesAgainstHolyScripture(s)Bill
Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Punjab anti-sacrilege bill referred to select committee, report in 6 months
1 2 Chandigarh: The Punjab assembly on Tuesday unanimously decided to refer the 'Punjab Prevention of Offences Against Holy Scripture(s) Bill, 2025,' which proposes life imprisonment for sacrilege, to a select committee of the House. This committee will consult with stakeholders and seek public opinion on the proposed legislation before its enactment, with a mandate to submit its report within six months. Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann proposed sending it to the panel. "Let's not be in a hurry and take suggestions of 3.5 crore people. The panel can solicit the views of all the social, religious, and other organisations," Mann said. Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan announced that the panel would seek public input and submit its report in six months. The speaker will constitute the select committee, which Mann suggested could include representatives of all political parties. Under the bill, any person found guilty of sacrilege may face imprisonment ranging from 10 years to life. The guilty shall also be liable to pay a fine of Rs 5 lakh, which may extend up to Rs 10 lakh. The speaker said though the Bill has to be discussed and passed by the house, the chair had the authority to consider the CM's proposal (to refer the bill to a house panel). by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Đây có thể là thời điểm tốt nhất để giao dịch vàng trong 5 năm qua IC Markets Tìm hiểu thêm Undo Although the speaker initially fixed two hours for the debate, including 1.35 hours for the ruling AAP and 16 minutes for the Congress party, Bajwa sought more time. The speaker promised that he would allocate additional time to each party. SAD MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali said there had been politics on the issue of sacrilege, adding that the previous govts may not have been deliberately involved in sacrilege. "There is a need for a transparent probe into the cases," he said. He added, "The previous govts may not have deliberately done sacrilege, but they paid the price for their mistakes," he said. Ayali also demanded that the land pooling scheme be withdrawn as landowners in Ludhiana were opposing it. Congress MLA Pargat Singh revealed internal divisions within the previous Congress govt regarding action on sacrilege, with one group favouring action and another wanting the issue to linger on. The AAP MLAs asked Pargat to name the Congress MLAs who were not in favour of prompt action in sacrilege cases. He also accused the AAP govt of withholding permission to prosecute the accused for 2.5 years. Later, in a statement, Pargat said the party was internally divided—with one faction pushing for swift legal action, while another faction, loyal to then CM Captain Amarinder Singh, was "deliberately stalling". "That very faction under Captain Amarinder became a roadblock to justice. With the high command's backing, that group was shown the exit, paving the way for action in the sacrilege cases," he said. "There has been politics on the issue, including the time of the Congress govt. In 3.5 years, AAP can bring a bill similar to the one passed by the Congress govt," he said. AAP failed to act in 27,456 hours: LoP Speaking on the Bill, Bajwa said before AAP formed the govt, party supremo Arvind Kejriwal and Mann promised that action would be taken in sacrilege cases within 24 hours, but failed to do so for 27,456 hours or 1,144 days since they assumed office. "The Bill is similar to the one tabled by the Congress in 2018. Also, did the CM meet the President or the Prime Minister to push for presidential assent to the previous bills?" Recalling the 2015 Burj Jawahar Singh Wala incident, Bajwa urged that the theft of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji—and sacred texts of other faiths—be clearly defined as sacrilege. He proposed strict timelines for investigations: completion within 30 days, 15-day extensions requiring SSP approval, and further extensions only with DGP approval. He further alleged the AAP govt's failure to name former CM Parkash Singh Badal and former Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal as accused in the 2015 Behbal Kalan firing, attributing it to a "compromise of AAP with the Badals." "I allege that your govt is not sincere. The AAP govt has completed 3.5 years but Kunwar Vijay Partap – who was made AAP's poster boy before the polls and promised home portfolio – was not allowed to speak (on the sacrilege issue) in the Assembly. There has been a compromise of AAP with the Badals," said Bajwa. AAP Defends Action, Accuses Congress of Hypocrisy Cabinet minister Aman Arora countered Bajwa's accusations by calling the Congress "hypocritical". He stated that despite multiple SITs and commissions under previous regimes, none named the Badals as accused. Arora asserted that the AAP govt initiated a thorough investigation, with an ADGP LK Yadav-led SIT submitting a 7,000-page challan naming Parkash Singh Badal, Sukhbir Singh Badal, former DGP Sumedh Singh Saini, and others. The case is pending in the Faridkot Additional Sessions Judge's Court. Cheema-Khaira Verbal Spat A heated exchange erupted between finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema and Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira during Cheema's remarks on the 1986 Nakodar sacrilege incident. Cheema questioned Khaira's educational qualifications and accused him of calling AAP leaders "bounded labourers". "What if we were not born with a silver spoon," Cheema said. Bajwa attempted to intervene, urging against personal attacks, while the speaker warned Khaira against further disruptions. When allowed to speak, Khaira reiterated that previous govts paid a price for inaction on sacrilege cases. He expressed doubt about the new legislation's effectiveness, stating it "cannot be implemented retrospectively". Khaira also questioned the relevance of Cheema's personal attack. BOX: Include Idols of Hindu Gods, Other Scriptures BJP MLA Jangi Lal Mahajan advocated for including idols of Hindu Gods, particularly after "Pran Pratishtha" ceremonies, in the Bill, citing incidents of desecration. BJP's Ashwani Sharma further suggested including other Sanatan Dharam scriptures like Ramayana, Shiv Puran, Bhagwat Puran, Hanuman Chalisa, and those devoted to Goddess Chandi, alongside the Gita. BOX: Confusion Over Bill Clause A moment of confusion arose when cabinet minister Aman Arora referred to clause 7 (2) of the Bill concerning time-bound investigations, as Congress MLA Avtar Henry Junior pointed out the sub-clause was absent in the draft he received, which was seconded by Bajwa.
Mint
3 days ago
- Politics
- Mint
Life term, ₹10 lakh fine, no parole: AAP govt's across-faith anti-sacrilege Bill in Punjab explained
The Aam Aadmi Party government on July 14 introduced in the Punjab Assembly an anti-sacrilege bill, proposing punishment up to life imprisonment for sacrilegious acts against religious scriptures. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann tabled the 'Punjab Prevention of Offences Against Holy Scripture(s) Bill 2025' in the House for discussion. The Speaker deferred the discussion on the bill for Tuesday after Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa said the party leaders need time to prepare to effectively express their viewpoints on the proposed law. Before the start of the third day of the special session of the state Assembly, the Punjab Prevention of Offences Against Holy Scripture(s) Bill, 2025, was cleared by the cabinet in a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Mann. The proposed law mandates strict punishment, extending up to life imprisonment, for the desecration of holy scriptures, including the Guru Granth Sahib, Bhagavad Gita, Bible and Quran, an official spokesperson told news agency PTI after the cabinet meeting. The bill proposes that any person found guilty of sacrilege may face imprisonment ranging from 10 years to life. The guilty shall also be liable to pay a fine of ₹ 5 lakh, which may extend up to ₹ 10 lakh. Those attempting to commit the offence may be sentenced to three to five years and shall also be liable to pay a fine which may extend up to ₹ 3 lakh, as per the Bill. The bill proposes that if such an offence leads to communal riots, causes loss of human life, or damages public or private property, the punishment may range from 20 years to life imprisonment, with a fine of ₹ 10-20 lakh. There is no provision for parole or furlough for those who receive the maximum sentence or fail to pay the fine. Individuals found abetting the crime will be punished in accordance with the offence committed. The proposed law also covers religious figures such as granthis, pathi singhs, sevadars, ragis, dadhis, prabandhaks, pandits, purohits, maulvis and pastors appointed to perform religious duties related to their holy scriptures. The bill proposes that if someone is found guilty of sacrilege, they will be punished under the highest category of the offence. Under the Bill, offence means any sacrilege, damage, destruction, defacing, disfiguring, de-colouring, de-filling, decomposing, burning, breaking or tearing of any holy scripture or part thereof. The offences punishable under this Act shall be cognisable, non-bailable, and non-compoundable and will be tried by a session court. The investigation of the offence under this Act shall be conducted by a police officer not below the rank of deputy superintendent of police, as per the Bill. Once passed, this legislation will be implemented in the entire state of Punjab. The provisions of this Act shall be in addition to and not in derogation of the provisions of any other law for the time being in force, it said. It is not the first time a bill has been introduced to impose stricter punishments on perpetrators of sacrilegious acts. In 2016, the then SAD-BJP government introduced the IPC (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2016, and CrPC (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2016, recommending a life sentence for sacrilegious acts against the Guru Granth Sahib. The Centre later returned the bill, saying that, given the Constitution's secular nature, all religions should be treated equally. In 2018, Captain Amarinder Singh's Congress government 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 and were returned. Following the discussion on Tuesday in the House, the Bill is expected to be sent to a select committee for taking the opinion of stakeholders. Mann had earlier said that the state government would seek the opinion of all stakeholders and religious bodies for the proposed legislation, indicating that it would not be enacted immediately. The bill deals with an emotive issue in Punjab, as there has been a demand from various quarters for stringent punishment for acts of sacrilege against religious texts after the incidents of desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib in 2015 in Faridkot. A government spokesperson told the news agency PTI that with the enactment of the law, the State seeks to further strengthen the ethos of communal harmony, brotherhood, peace, and amity. The spokesperson said it would also act as a strong deterrent against antisocial and antinational activities by ensuring severe punishment for perpetrators of this heinous crime. There have been numerous incidents in the past involving the sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib and other revered granths, deeply wounding public sentiments and causing unrest in society, the spokesperson said. Over 100 incidents of sacrilege have been reported in the past five years alone, according to the state Intelligence Department. In 2016, desecration of the Quran was reported in Malerkotla and later in Sangrur; torn pages of Guru Granth Sahib were found in a park in Amritsar in 2018, leading to protests; and a gurdwara was vandalised in Tarn Taran and Guru Granth Sahib was desecrated in 2018. 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. However, until now, no specific legislation existed that directly addressed offences against 'holy granths', often resulting in leniency or evasion of serious action by culprits, said the spokesperson. The enactment of the law seeks to further strengthen the ethos of communal harmony, brotherhood, peace, and amity.
