he Punjab Government will table a draft Bill in the Vidhan Sabha on Friday, the second day of a two-day special session, to address the sensitive issue of sacrilege with tougher legal provisions. However, the Bill will not be enacted immediately, as the government plans to first seek wider consultation with the public, religious organizations, legal experts, and political stakeholders before finalizing the law. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who chaired the Cabinet meeting on Thursday, announced the decision, stressing that the Government intends to avoid hasty legislation on such an emotive and enduring issue. We are drafting a big law, one that will remain forever. It must be strong and thoughtful. We will speak to everyone — religious leaders, legal experts, citizens — and take their opinion. A consultative committee will be formed to study the Bill thoroughly, Mann said during a media interaction. Mann said that the Cabinet had unanimously approved the tabling of the sacrilege Bill during the special session of the Assembly on Friday. The Bill will be introduced in the House tomorrow, after which it will be opened for public and stakeholder consultation, he said. We will invite suggestions from religious leaders, legal experts, and citizens to ensure the law is comprehensive, balanced, and free from loopholes. Nothing essential should be left out, and nothing unnecessary should be included…Bill is a complex process; it is imperative to ensure that the final law reflects the sentiments and legal prudence necessary for such a sensitive subject, he added. Stating that this law will stay forever, Mann added, We dont want to rush it. We will consult stakeholders, religious bodies, and the general public before finalizing the draft. The consultative committee will review the Bill, as is done in Parliament. Everyones voice will be heard. The legislation is being brought as a stand-alone state law, distinct from previous efforts by past governments that attempted to amend central laws. Mann confirmed that it would not be inserted into the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which replaced the Indian Penal Code. No Death Penalty Provision On the contentious issue of punishment, Mann clarified that the Bill does not propose the death penalty for sacrilege. Capital punishment is too strong a measure and could be misused, just like the dowry law has been in some cases, he said. While the AAP Government had earlier considered both life imprisonment and the death sentence as options, sources informed The Pioneer that the new legislation is more likely to prescribe life imprisonment as the maximum penalty rather than the death sentence. Within the AAP, there has been a divide over the severity of punishment. While CM Mann has previously spoken in favour of strong deterrents, many leaders have cautioned against introducing retrogressive measures like the death penalty. The draft was submitted by the Sarb Dharam Beadbi Rokko Kanoon Morcha, a religious and civil society front, and was vetted by Advocate-General Maninderjit Singh Bedi to ensure legal sustainability. Previous sacrilege-related laws passed by earlier governments were returned by the Centre, citing excessive punishments and a lack of alignment with central legal frameworks. Historical and Political Context Sacrilege is a deeply sensitive issue in Punjab. Public anger reached a flashpoint in October 2015 after torn pages of the Guru Granth Sahib were found in Bargari, Faridkot. The subsequent police firing on protesting Sikhs at Behbal Kalan, which left two people dead, sparked statewide outrage. The incident is considered a turning point in Punjab politics, contributing to the downfall of the Shiromani Akali Dal in the 2017 Assembly polls. The issue remains unresolved in public consciousness. An activist, Gurjeet Singh Khalsa, has been staging a dramatic protest atop a 400-foot BSNL tower since October last year, demanding a stringent sacrilege law. He has reportedly been on a liquid-only diet since January 12, exerting moral pressure on the government. Under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which replaced the IPC, Section 299 prescribes up to three years of imprisonment, a fine, or both, for acts intended to outrage religious feelings. These offences are cognizable, non-bailable, and triable by a magistrate. Punjabs proposed legislation seeks to go beyond this, in view of the unique socio-religious reverence for the Guru Granth Sahib, which Sikhs regard as a living Guru. In 2018, the Congress Government had also passed stricter Bills, but those too were returned by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. The Centre recently advised Punjab to align any new legislation with the BNS and the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita. The state, however, maintained that sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib warrants more severe provisions than what current central laws provide.

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