Punjab Governor nod to tough anti-sacrilege Bill; enactment soon

Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria has given his go-ahead to the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Bill, 2026, paving the way for its enactment into law.

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday shared the news of the Governor’s approval. “Now the law will be enacted… From a humble person like me, a billion-fold thanks to Waheguru for giving me this opportunity to serve Him. I extend my gratitude to the entire Sikh sangat for supporting me. Now no accused will be spared,” he said in a social media post.

The Governor’s nod has given the AAP an opportunity to target the Shiromani Akali Dal, whose leaders have been accused in connection with the police firing on protesters at Behbal Kalan and Kotkapura in the aftermath of the 2015 Bargari sacrilege incidents, as well as the 1986 incidents at Nakodar.

Related news: 18 months on, Sikh activist Gurjeet Singh Khalsa agrees to end tower-top protest in Samana

How will Punjab Police now probe sacrilege cases

With the Assembly elections approaching, the enactment of an anti-sacrilege law by the AAP, which both the Congress and the Akali Dal-BJP couldn’t during their tenures, is expected to help the ruling party consolidate Sikh votes, especially in rural Malwa and Panthic constituencies in Majha, particularly among the SC and Ramgarhia population.

Party leaders attacked the SAD, saying most sacrilege incidents took place when it was in power. Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said the approval and enactment of the Bill ended the era of weak laws and political shielding. “Previous governments promised closure to the Sikh sangat for these heinous crimes. The Justice Gurnam Singh Commission report, which named those accused in the Nakodar firing, went missing. In 2016, when Justice Jora Singh tried to submit his inquiry report, no one in the government wanted to accept it. This shows their seriousness on the issue, as do the half-hearted attempts to bring a law,” he said.

The enactment of this anti-sacrilege law is also expected to pave the way for the end of the morcha at Samana.

The new Act will come into force after notification and will ensure that anyone involved in sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib, or conspiracy to commit such acts, faces punishment ranging from 10 years to life imprisonment. Publishing derogatory content online against Guru Granth Sahib will also be treated as an offence. The Act provides for fines ranging from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 25 lakh and confiscation of property. Cases will be investigated by officers of the rank of DSP and above.

Since the original Act of 2008, which granted the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) exclusive rights to print and publish Guru Granth Sahib, the amended Act also makes it mandatory for the SGPC to maintain records of all saroops both physically and electronically. The Vidhan Sabha had sent the Bill to the Governor for approval last week.