Anti-sacrilege bill referred to select committee of Punjab Assembly for public opinion

The Punjab Assembly on Tuesday unanimously decided to refer a bill proposing punishment up to life imprisonment for sacrilege acts against religious scriptures to a select committee of the House to seek public opinion on the proposed legislation.

On the concluding day of the special session of the assembly, Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan said the panel will submit its report on the bill within six months after taking public opinion.

The move came after Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann proposed the Punjab Prevention of Offences Against Holy Scripture(s) Bill, 2025, be sent to the select committee that may include representatives of all political parties for it to seek the opinion of the people and religious bodies.

The anti-sacrilege bill was introduced in the House by CM Mann on Monday, saying there must be stringent punishment for those involved in the desecration of religious scriptures.

While wrapping up a discussion on the bill, he referred to the sacrilege incidents of 2015 under the SAD-BJP rule and said there cannot be a bigger crime than sacrilegious acts.

''Strictest punishment be given for the sacrilege acts against religious scriptures. Those who burn them, those tear them, there cannot be a bigger crime than this,'' he said.

Referred to the 2015 sacrilege incidents, Mann said his government has filed chargesheets in the matter.

The state-specific proposed law was cleared by the cabinet in a meeting chaired by the chief minister.

Assembly Speaker Sandhwan said the select committee will be formed by him to seek public opinion on the bill.

Taking part in the discussion on the bill, Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa demanded that theft of the religious scripture should also be included as an offence in the legislation.

He also demanded that a time bound probe be conducted into the sacrilegious acts.

The 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 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.

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 Rs 3 lakh, the bill proposes. Individuals found abetting the crime will be punished in accordance with the offence committed.

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.

Once enacted, offences punishable under this legislation shall be cognizable, non-bailable, and non-compoundable and will be tried by a session court. The probe shall be conducted by a police officer not below the rank of deputy superintendent of police.

Sacrilege has been an emotive issue in Punjab. There has been a demand from various quarters for stringent punishment for sacrilege after the incidents of desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib in 2015 in Faridkot.

This proposed legislation aims to fill that legal void by criminalising and prescribing punishments for acts of sacrilege across all sects and faiths.

It is not the first time that a law has been brought for stricter punishment for perpetrators of sacrilege acts. In 2016, the then SAD-BJP government brought in the IPC (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2016, and the CrPC (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2016, recommending a 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 then Congress government led by Amarinder Singh 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, those two bills did not get with the President's assent and were returned.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)