Latest news with #PunjabPreventionofOffencesAgainstHolyScriptureBill
Hindustan Times
31-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Punjab Assembly panel on anti-sacrilege bill seeks public suggestions through Whatsapp, email
Chandigarh, The select committee of the Punjab Assembly, formed for a wider consultation with the stakeholders on an anti-sacrilege bill, has released a WhatsApp number and an email ID for receiving suggestions from the public by August 31, a public notice said. Punjab Assembly panel on anti-sacrilege bill seeks public suggestions through Whatsapp, email Suggestions can be sent by the public in writing on WhatsApp number 8054495560 and on e-mail IDs secy-vs-punjab@ or it added. According to the public notice, the select committee seeks suggestions from the public, religious institutions, non-government organisations, experts, intellectuals and various representatives of civil society regarding the bill. The committee also asked people to send their views through MLAs of their respective constituencies and by post or by hand. The committee will consider suggestions received by August 31, it said. The Punjab Prevention of Offences Against Holy Scripture Bill, 2025, proposing punishment up to life imprisonment for sacrilege acts against religious scriptures, was introduced in the House on July 14. Thereafter, the Punjab Assembly unanimously decided to refer the bill to the select committee of the House to seek public opinion, including religious bodies, on the proposed legislation. A 15-member select committee, led by A MLA Inderbir Singh Nijjar, for seeking public opinion on the bill had been constituted by the Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan on July 19. The panel will submit its report on the bill within six months. The first meeting of the select committee was held on July 24. The anti-sacrilege bill mandates strict punishment, extending up to life imprisonment for the desecration of holy scriptures, including the Guru Granth Sahib, Bhagavad Gita, Bible and Quran. According to the bill, any person found guilty of sacrilege may face jail term ranging from 10 years to life imprisonment. 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, according to the Bill. Individuals found abetting the crime will be punished in accordance with the offence committed. According to the proposed 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. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Hindustan Times
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Anti-sacrilege bill introduced in Punjab Assembly
Chandigarh, The A government on Monday introduced in the Punjab Assembly an anti-sacrilege bill, proposing punishment up to life imprisonment for sacrilegious acts against religious scriptures. Anti-sacrilege bill introduced in Punjab Assembly Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann introduced the 'Punjab Prevention of Offences Against Holy Scriptures Bill 2025' in the House. Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa described the sacrilege issue as serious and urged the Speaker to hold the discussion on the bill on Tuesday. Before the start of the third day of the special session of the state Assembly, the Punjab Prevention of Offences Against Holy Scripture Bill, 2025 a state-specific law was cleared by the cabinet in a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Mann here. The bill mandates strict punishment, extending up to life imprisonment, for the desecration of holy scriptures, including the Sri Guru Granth Sahib, Bhagavad Gita, Bible and Quran, an official spokesperson said after the cabinet 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 of this heinous crime, said the spokesperson. The spokesperson said 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. 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 holy granth. Notably, 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. 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. PTi CHS VSD RT This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
