Punjab govt to table stringent anti-sacrilege draft Bill in Vidhan Sabha on July 11

The Punjab government is set to table its draft Bill proposing harsher punishment for acts of sacrilege in the Vidhan Sabha on Friday. However, the Bill will not be enacted immediately.

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The decision was taken during a meeting of the Council of Ministers chaired by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday.

Announcing the move, Mann said the government intends to first seek the views of the public, religious organisations, and lawmakers before enacting the law.

Though Mann did not confirm whether the new Bill—set to become a state government’s own Act, rather than being a part of Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS)—would include capital punishment for acts of sacrilege, The Tribune has learnt that the proposed penalty could be life imprisonment, not the death sentence.

“We want wider public opinion on the issue. A consultative committee will be formed to discuss the provisions of the Bill with all stakeholders before we enact it,” Mann said.

The Cabinet also approved the state government’s universal health insurance scheme and gave its nod to an official resolution—set to be presented in the Vidhan Sabha on Friday—seeking to withdraw the consent earlier given to Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) for deploying central forces at the Bhakra dams.