Punjab Assembly refers anti-sacrilege Bill to select committee for wider consultation

The Punjab Vidhan Sabha on Monday unanimously decided to refer the Punjab Prevention of Offences Against Holy Scriptures Bill, 2025 to a Select Committee of MLAs for consultation with all stakeholders before it is enacted.

The decision followed a three-and-a-half-hour debate on the contentious Bill, which was tabled in the House on Monday by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.

Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan said the committee will gather public input on the Bill — considered an extremely emotive issue — and return with recommendations within six months. The Chief Minister had earlier 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 including Pothis and Gutka Sahib, Bhagavad Gita, Quran and Bible.

Offences under the proposed law would be cognizable, non-compoundable, and triable by a Sessions Court. Only a police officer of the rank of DSP or above will be authorised to investigate such cases.

Under the provisions of the Bill, any person who abets to commit an offence (sacrilege, damage, destruction, defacing, decolouring, defining, decomposing, burning, breaking or treating of any holy scripture, or its part) in consequence of an instigation or as part of a conspiracy, will be punished with a three to five year sentence and a fine up to Rs 3 lakh.

Once enacted, the law will apply across Punjab and will take effect from the date of its publication in the Official Gazette. It will override other enactments and will not be in derogation of the provisions of any other law for the time being in force.