Punjab passes anti-sacrilege Bill

Chandigarh: The Punjab Assembly on Monday unanimously passed a Bill proposing stricter punishment, including life imprisonment and a fine up to Rs 25 lakh, for any act of sacrilege against the Guru Granth Sahib.

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann presented the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Bill, 2026, during a special session of the Assembly here.

The AAP government convened a special session of the Vidhan Sabha to amend the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar Act, 2008, for stricter punishment against sacrilege of the Guru Granth Sahib.

After the bill was passed, Mann thanked the members of the House for supporting the Bill and said it would act as a strong deterrent against acts of sacrilege.

Mann also said the bill does not need to be sent to the President, adding that it requires only the Governor’s assent.

The Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Bill, 2026, proposes stricter punishments to deter incidents of ‘beadbi’ (sacrilege) and uphold the sanctity of the Guru Granth Sahib.

According to the bill, any person who commits an offence of sacrilege of the ‘Saroop(s)’ (sacred scripture) of the Guru Granth Sahib under this Act shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which shall not be less than seven years but which may extend to 20 years.

There shall also be a fine which shall not be less than Rs 2 lakh but which may extend to Rs 10 lakh.

Any person, who in criminal conspiracy, commits sacrilege with an intention to disrupt peace or communal harmony shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which shall not be less than 10 years but which may extend to imprisonment for life, and shall also be liable to fine which shall not be less than Rs five 5 but which may extend to Rs 25 lakh, as per the bill.

Any person who attempts to commit an offence shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which shall not be less than 3 years but which may extend to 5 years, and shall also be liable to a fine which shall not be less than Rs 1 lakh but which may extend to Rs 3 lakh.

Sacrilege for the purpose of this Act means any willful and deliberate act, committed with the intent of desecration by way of physical damaging, defacing, burning, tearing or theft of ‘Saroop(s)’ the Guru Granth Sahib or part thereof, or by words, either spoken or written, or by signs or by visible representations or through electronic means or otherwise, which is of such a nature as to hurt the religious feelings of persons professing the Sikh faith, as per the bill.

The investigation into the sacrilege offence will be conducted by a police officer, not below the rank of deputy superintendent of police or assistant commissioner of police.