CHANDIGARH: The Punjab government on Monday tabled a stringent bill to tackle acts of sacrilege. The proposed legislation includes provisions that could lead to life imprisonment and a fine up to Rs 10 lakh for individuals found guilty of desecrating any religious scripture.
Before this bill was introduced, the assembly was adjourned for an hour. During the break, Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan called representatives of all parties to inform them about the bill’s introduction.
Once the House reconvened, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann introduced the 'Punjab Prevention of Offences Against Holy Scriptures Bill 2025'. The bill mandates strict punishment for the desecration of holy scriptures including the Sri Guru Granth Sahib, Bhagavad Gita, Bible and Quran.
Though the Bill was tabled in the assembly on Monday afternoon, discussion on it has been deferred till Tuesday morning as the Leader of Opposition and senior Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa described the sacrilege issue as serious and urged the Speaker to hold the discussion on the bill on Tuesday. "I request you to discuss this on Tuesday. Legislators should ideally get 48 hours to study any bill. This bill will have to get the presidential assent later, so it is important that all party MLAs are well prepared for discussing the bill," he said.
Following the debate, the bill is expected to be referred to a select committee for discussions with all stakeholders.
As per the bill, the offences under this law will be cognizable, non-compoundable, and tried by a sessions court. Police officers of the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) and above will be authorized to investigate such cases. Those convicted under the proposed law will also be liable to pay a fine of Rs 5 lakh, which may be extended to Rs 10 lakh.
The bill also includes punishment for abetment of sacrilege, as anyone who instigates or conspires to commit acts like damaging, destroying, defacing, decolouring, defiling, decomposing, burning, breaking or treating of any holy scripture or its part will face three to five years in jail, along with a fine of up to Rs 3 lakh.
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 was cleared by the cabinet in a meeting.
The government went ahead and tabled the bill in the state assembly amid growing political and public pressure for tougher punishment. Gurjeet Singh Khalsa has been protesting since October last year atop a BSNL tower in Samana (Patiala), demanding the death penalty for those found guilty of sacrilege.
This is the third consecutive government in the state to bring forward anti-sacrilege legislation. Previous attempts by the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-BJP government in 2016 and the Congress government in 2018 were either returned by the Centre or failed to receive Presidential assent.
The first legislative effort came in 2016 when the SAD-BJP government introduced the Indian Penal Code (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2016 and the Code of Criminal Procedure (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2016, recommending life imprisonment for desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib. However, the Centre returned the bills, stating that the amendments must apply to all religions in keeping with the secular principles of the Constitution.
In 2018, the Amarinder Singh-led Congress government passed two similar bills, expanding the scope to include the Guru Granth Sahib, Bhagavad Gita, Quran and Bible, but these were referred back to the state government by the Centre. The Union government had then noted that the Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) had replaced the IPC, and any amendments needed to align with the provisions of the new code.
CM Mann had met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in 2022 seeking Presidential assent to the two bills passed by the Congress government.
A government spokesman said that 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, he said.
He added that 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, he added.