Punjab Assembly refers anti-sacrilege Bill to select panel; report in 6 months

Chandigarh, July 15 (IANS) After three hours of intense debate of allegations and counter allegations, the Punjab Vidhan Sabha on Tuesday unanimously decided to refer the highly emotive Punjab Prevention of Offences Against Holy Scriptures Bill of 2025 to a select committee for consultation with all stakeholders.

On the suggestion of both the treasury and the opposition benches, Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan said the select committee would gather public opinion on the Bill and return with recommendations within six months.

Earlier, the Chief Minister proposed a four-month timeline. The Bill proposes stringent penalties for sacrilege-related offences, prescribing a minimum sentence of 10 years, extendable to life imprisonment, along with fines ranging from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh.

The holy scriptures referred to in the Bill are Guru Granth Sahib or extracts thereof, the Bhagavad Gita, the Quran and the Bible.

This is the third attempt by the Assembly to enact a Bill on sacrilege issues.

In 2016 and 2018, the SAD-BJP government and later the Congress government, respectively, passed the Bills in the Assembly.

On both occasions, the Bills were returned by the President without assent.

Introducing the Bill in the House on Tuesday, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said that this “is an emotive and critical issue that concerns every Punjabi”.

He emphasised that the matter has grave repercussions not only in the present but also for future generations.

CM Mann said stringent punishment for this unpardonable offence is the need of the hour to serve as a deterrent to criminals.

The Chief Minister has reiterated that Punjab is a sacred land of great gurus, saints, and seers who have shown the path of mutual love and tolerance. However, he lamented that certain anti-Punjab forces have been attempting to destroy the state’s social fabric by orchestrating sacrilegious acts of holy granths since 2016.

The Chief Minister has said the government had consulted leading legal experts to draft robust legislation that prevents offenders from evading severe consequences, including the sternest punishment for such heinous crimes. Reaffirming his government’s dedication to justice, he asserted that every individual involved in these sacrilegious acts, whether directly or indirectly, would face exemplary punishment.

--IANS

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