Punjab anti-sacrilege bill referred to select committee, report in 6 months

Time of India

15-07-2025

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Chandigarh: The Punjab assembly on Tuesday unanimously decided to refer the 'Punjab Prevention of Offences Against Holy Scripture(s) Bill, 2025,' which proposes life imprisonment for sacrilege, to a select committee of the House.
This committee will consult with stakeholders and seek public opinion on the proposed legislation before its enactment, with a mandate to submit its report within six months.
Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann proposed sending it to the panel. "Let's not be in a hurry and take suggestions of 3.5 crore people. The panel can solicit the views of all the social, religious, and other organisations," Mann said.
Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan announced that the panel would seek public input and submit its report in six months.
The speaker will constitute the select committee, which Mann suggested could include representatives of all political parties.
Under the bill, any person found guilty of sacrilege may face imprisonment ranging from 10 years to life. The guilty shall also be liable to pay a fine of Rs 5 lakh, which may extend up to Rs 10 lakh.
The speaker said though the Bill has to be discussed and passed by the house, the chair had the authority to consider the CM's proposal (to refer the bill to a house panel).
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Although the speaker initially fixed two hours for the debate, including 1.35 hours for the ruling AAP and 16 minutes for the Congress party, Bajwa sought more time. The speaker promised that he would allocate additional time to each party.
SAD MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali said there had been politics on the issue of sacrilege, adding that the previous govts may not have been deliberately involved in sacrilege. "There is a need for a transparent probe into the cases," he said.
He added, "The previous govts may not have deliberately done sacrilege, but they paid the price for their mistakes," he said. Ayali also demanded that the land pooling scheme be withdrawn as landowners in Ludhiana were opposing it.
Congress MLA Pargat Singh revealed internal divisions within the previous Congress govt regarding action on sacrilege, with one group favouring action and another wanting the issue to linger on.
The AAP MLAs asked Pargat to name the Congress MLAs who were not in favour of prompt action in sacrilege cases. He also accused the AAP govt of withholding permission to prosecute the accused for 2.5 years.
Later, in a statement, Pargat said the party was internally divided—with one faction pushing for swift legal action, while another faction, loyal to then CM Captain Amarinder Singh, was "deliberately stalling". "That very faction under Captain Amarinder became a roadblock to justice.
With the high command's backing, that group was shown the exit, paving the way for action in the sacrilege cases," he said. "There has been politics on the issue, including the time of the Congress govt.
In 3.5 years, AAP can bring a bill similar to the one passed by the Congress govt," he said.
AAP failed to act in 27,456 hours: LoP
Speaking on the Bill, Bajwa said before AAP formed the govt, party supremo Arvind Kejriwal and Mann promised that action would be taken in sacrilege cases within 24 hours, but failed to do so for 27,456 hours or 1,144 days since they assumed office. "The Bill is similar to the one tabled by the Congress in 2018. Also, did the CM meet the President or the Prime Minister to push for presidential assent to the previous bills?"
Recalling the 2015 Burj Jawahar Singh Wala incident, Bajwa urged that the theft of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji—and sacred texts of other faiths—be clearly defined as sacrilege.
He proposed strict timelines for investigations: completion within 30 days, 15-day extensions requiring SSP approval, and further extensions only with DGP approval.
He further alleged the AAP govt's failure to name former CM Parkash Singh Badal and former Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal as accused in the 2015 Behbal Kalan firing, attributing it to a "compromise of AAP with the Badals."
"I allege that your govt is not sincere.
The AAP govt has completed 3.5 years but Kunwar Vijay Partap – who was made AAP's poster boy before the polls and promised home portfolio – was not allowed to speak (on the sacrilege issue) in the Assembly. There has been a compromise of AAP with the Badals," said Bajwa.
AAP Defends Action, Accuses Congress of Hypocrisy
Cabinet minister Aman Arora countered Bajwa's accusations by calling the Congress "hypocritical".
He stated that despite multiple SITs and commissions under previous regimes, none named the Badals as accused. Arora asserted that the AAP govt initiated a thorough investigation, with an ADGP LK Yadav-led SIT submitting a 7,000-page challan naming Parkash Singh Badal, Sukhbir Singh Badal, former DGP Sumedh Singh Saini, and others.
The case is pending in the Faridkot Additional Sessions Judge's Court.
Cheema-Khaira Verbal Spat
A heated exchange erupted between finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema and Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira during Cheema's remarks on the 1986 Nakodar sacrilege incident.
Cheema questioned Khaira's educational qualifications and accused him of calling AAP leaders "bounded labourers". "What if we were not born with a silver spoon," Cheema said. Bajwa attempted to intervene, urging against personal attacks, while the speaker warned Khaira against further disruptions.
When allowed to speak, Khaira reiterated that previous govts paid a price for inaction on sacrilege cases. He expressed doubt about the new legislation's effectiveness, stating it "cannot be implemented retrospectively".
Khaira also questioned the relevance of Cheema's personal attack.
BOX: Include Idols of Hindu Gods, Other Scriptures
BJP MLA Jangi Lal Mahajan advocated for including idols of Hindu Gods, particularly after "Pran Pratishtha" ceremonies, in the Bill, citing incidents of desecration. BJP's Ashwani Sharma further suggested including other Sanatan Dharam scriptures like Ramayana, Shiv Puran, Bhagwat Puran, Hanuman Chalisa, and those devoted to Goddess Chandi, alongside the Gita.
BOX: Confusion Over Bill Clause
A moment of confusion arose when cabinet minister Aman Arora referred to clause 7 (2) of the Bill concerning time-bound investigations, as Congress MLA Avtar Henry Junior pointed out the sub-clause was absent in the draft he received, which was seconded by Bajwa.