Punjab Assembly Moves to Strengthen Laws Against Religious Sacrilege

New Legislation Proposed in Punjab Assembly

On Tuesday, the Punjab Assembly took a significant step by sending a bill to a select committee for further consultation. This legislation aims to impose life sentences and fines reaching up to Rs 10 lakh for acts of sacrilege against religious texts.

Introduced by the Aam Aadmi Party government, the 2025 Punjab Prevention of Offences Against Holy Scripture(s) Bill was presented in the Assembly on Monday.

The proposed law outlines severe penalties for the desecration of sacred texts, including the Sri Guru Granth Sahib, the Bhagavad Gita, the Bible, and the Quran.

Under this bill, individuals convicted of sacrilege would face a minimum of 10 years in prison and a fine of at least Rs 5 lakh. Additionally, attempts to commit such acts could result in a jail term ranging from three to five years and fines up to Rs 3 lakh.

The legislation specifies that offenses would be cognizable, non-bailable, and non-compoundable, with cases being adjudicated in a sessions court.

According to the bill, sacrilege encompasses actions such as damage, destruction, defacing, or burning of any holy scripture or its parts.

A government spokesperson highlighted that there have been numerous incidents of sacrilege involving the Guru Granth Sahib and other religious texts, which have deeply offended public sentiments and led to societal unrest.

The spokesperson noted that while existing laws addressed such offenses, they lacked the stringent penalties necessary to deter future violations effectively.

“Given the seriousness of these offenses and the need to maintain communal harmony and respect for religious sanctity, the Cabinet deemed it essential to introduce specific legislation with enhanced penalties, including life imprisonment for those found guilty of sacrilege,” the spokesperson stated.

During the Assembly discussions on Tuesday, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann emphasized that the proposed law would prevent heinous crimes by instituting the harshest penalties for offenders.

This special Assembly session was convened following a meeting between the chief minister and representatives from the Sarb Dharam Beadbi Rokko Kanoon Morcha, whose activist Gurjeet Singh Khalsa has been protesting for 275 days atop a 400-foot telecom tower, advocating for this legislation.