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Time of India
5 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Anti-sacrilege bill: Punjab assembly select committee holds 1st meeting
1 2 Chandigarh: The 15-member select committee of Punjab vidhan sabha, tasked with holding wider consultations with stakeholders on the anti-sacrilege bill, held its first meeting under the chairmanship of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Inderbir Singh Nijjar. Speaking to media, Nijjar, who was accompanied by speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan, said the committee discussed its work area and the bill. He said a mechanism would be put in place to seek inputs from the public. While methods for submitting suggestions, such as WhatsApp and email, are being considered, these details will be finalised in the next meeting. Religious organisations and thinkers will also be consulted, he said. "The discussions held in the meeting are confidential as it is a sensitive issue," Nijjar stated. "We will meet again on July 29." Nijjar added the committee would try to submit its report within the stipulated period of six months. "We will try to meet at least once a week. However, the frequency can be increased, and we may form a sub-committee... Two members, Bram Shankar Jimpa and Amandeep Kaur, could not attend the meeting, but they are on their way, and we will brief them. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like JAIN Online MBA – Empowering Future Leaders JAIN Online Learn More Undo The panel may also give an option to invite suggestions through local MLAs," Nijjar said. The Punjab advocate general, who is an ex-officio member of the committee, also attended the meeting. The panel includes MLAs from AAP, Congress, BJP, and SAD. The speaker had formed the committee on July 19 to seek public opinion and consult religious orgsanisations on the Punjab Prevention of Offences Against Holy Scripture(s) Bill, 2025. Before this, the sacrilege bill was introduced in the assembly on July 14, proposing stricter penalties, including life imprisonment, for religious sacrilege. The MLAs nominated to the select committee include Nijjar, Ajay Gupta, Amandeep Kaur Arora, Inderjit Kaur Mann, Jagdeep Kamboj, Jangi Lal Mahajan, Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Neena Mittal, Baljinder Kaur, Budh Ram, Bram Shanker Jimpa, Balwinder Singh Dhaliwal, Madan Lal Bagga, Manpreet Singh Ayali, and Mohammad Jamil Ur Rehman. Under the bill, a person found guilty of sacrilege could face imprisonment of not less than 10 years, extending to a maximum of life imprisonment, along with a fine of Rs 5 lakh, which can go up to Rs 10 lakh. Those attempting to commit an offence will be punished with imprisonment for a term of not less than three years and up to five years, and a fine of up to Rs 3 lakh. Also, any person who abets an offence, and the offence is committed as a consequence of that abetment, will receive the same punishment as prescribed for the main offence.
Time of India
19-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Pb speaker forms panel on anti-sacrilege bill, Nijjar to head it
1 2 Chandigarh: Punjab assembly speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan Saturday formed a select committee to hold consultations with various stakeholders on the "Prevention of Offences Against Holy Scripture(s) Bill, 2025". It follows a unanimous resolution passed during the assembly session on July 15. The select committee is mandated to submit its report within six months. The 15-member panel will be led by former cabinet minister and AAP (Amritsar South) MLA Inderbir Singh Nijjar. The state's advocate general will be an ex-officio member. The panel includes MLAs from the ruling AAP, as well as opposition parties such as Congress, BJP, and SAD. Among the MLAs nominated to the select committee are Inderbir Singh Nijjar, Ajay Gupta, Amandeep Kaur Arora, Inderjit Kaur Mann, Jagdeep Kamboj, Jangi Lal Mahajan, Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Neena Mittal, Baljinder Kaur, Budh Ram, Bram Shanker Jimpa, Balwinder Singh Dhaliwal, Madan Lal Bagga, Manpreet Singh Ayali, and Mohammad Jamil Ur Rehman. On July 16, the Punjab assembly referred the anti-sacrilege bill, which proposes life imprisonment and a fine of up to Rs 10 lakh for acts of sacrilege against religious scriptures, to a select committee of legislators for consultation with stakeholders and the general public. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You To Read in 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo It was also decided that the panel will submit its report within six months. Under the Bill, a person found guilty of sacrilege could face imprisonment of not less than 10 years, extending to a maximum of life imprisonment, along with a fine of Rs 5 lakh, which can go up to Rs 10 lakh. Anyone who abets such a crime will receive the same punishment. The proposed legislation aims to safeguard religious and communal harmony and deter sacrilege incidents by imposing severe punishment. It defines "holy scriptures" as sacred texts revered by various religious denominations, specifically listing Sri Guru Granth Sahib (including extracts like Pothis and Gutka Sahib), Srimad Bhagavad Gita, Quran Sharif, and the Holy Bible. The notification regarding the select committee was issued by the assembly secretariat, and copies have been circulated to all members of the house.
Economic Times
19-07-2025
- Politics
- Economic Times
Anti-sacrilege bill: Punjab Speaker forms 15-member select committee led by Inderbir Nijjar to consult stakeholders
IANS After three hours of intense debate of allegations and counter allegations, the Punjab Vidhan Sabha on Tuesday unanimously decided to refer the highly emotive Punjab Prevention of Offences Against Holy Scriptures Bill of 2025 to a select committee for consultation with all stakeholders. Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan on Saturday formed a 15-member select committee of the House for wider consultations with stakeholders on an anti-sacrilege bill. The move came days after the Punjab Assembly unanimously decided to refer the Punjab Prevention of Offences Against Holy Scripture(s) Bill, 2025, proposing punishment up to life imprisonment for sacrilege acts against religious scriptures, to a select committee of the House. The panel will submit its report on the bill within six months. The 15-member panel will be headed by AAP MLA from Amritsar South and former minister Inderbir Singh Nijjar, according to a notification issued by the Punjab Vidhan Sabha secretariat on Saturday. The members of the committee are -- AAP MLAs Ajay Gupta, Amandeep Kaur Arora, Inderjit Kaur Mann, Jagdeep Kamboj, Neena Mittal, Baljinder Kaur, Budh Ram, Bram Shanker Jimpa, Madan Lal Bagga, and Mohammad Jamil Ur Rahman; BJP MLA Jangi Lal Mahajan, Congress legislators Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa and Balwinder Singh Dhaliwal; and Shiromani Akali Dal legislator Manpreet Singh Ayali. Punjab Advocate General Maninderjit Singh Bedi will be the ex-officio member of the committee. The anti-sacrilege bill was introduced on July 14 in the House. The bill mandates strict punishment, extending up to life imprisonment, for the desecration of holy scriptures, including the Guru Granth Sahib, Bhagavad Gita, Bible and Quran. According to 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. Those attempting to commit the offence may be sentenced to three to five years and shall also be liable to pay a fine which may extend up to Rs 3 lakh. Individuals found abetting the crime will be punished in accordance with the offence committed. Under the Bill, offence means any sacrilege, damage, destruction, defacing, disfiguring, de-colouring, de-filling, decomposing, burning, breaking or tearing of any holy scripture or part thereof. Sacrilege has been an emotive issue in Punjab. There has been a demand from various quarters for stringent punishment for sacrilege after the incidents of desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib in 2015 in Faridkot. In the police firing at anti-sacrilege protesters in October 2015, two persons were killed in Behbal Kalan, while some persons were injured at Kotkapura in Faridkot.
Time of India
19-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Anti-sacrilege bill: Punjab Speaker forms 15-member select committee led by Inderbir Nijjar to consult stakeholders
Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan on Saturday formed a 15-member select committee of the House for wider consultations with stakeholders on an anti-sacrilege bill . The move came days after the Punjab Assembly unanimously decided to refer the Punjab Prevention of Offences Against Holy Scripture(s) Bill, 2025, proposing punishment up to life imprisonment for sacrilege acts against religious scriptures, to a select committee of the House. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Select a Course Category Data Science Finance Degree MBA Operations Management Leadership Management Data Analytics Artificial Intelligence Digital Marketing Technology MCA Data Science Public Policy Cybersecurity PGDM Healthcare Project Management Product Management healthcare Design Thinking CXO others Others Skills you'll gain: Data Analysis & Interpretation Programming Proficiency Problem-Solving Skills Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence Duration: 24 Months Vellore Institute of Technology VIT MSc in Data Science Starts on Aug 14, 2024 Get Details Skills you'll gain: Strategic Data-Analysis, including Data Mining & Preparation Predictive Modeling & Advanced Clustering Techniques Machine Learning Concepts & Regression Analysis Cutting-edge applications of AI, like NLP & Generative AI Duration: 8 Months IIM Kozhikode Professional Certificate in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence Starts on Jun 26, 2024 Get Details The panel will submit its report on the bill within six months. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Your Finger Shape Says a Lot About Your Personality, Read Now Tips and Tricks Undo The 15-member panel will be headed by AAP MLA from Amritsar South and former minister Inderbir Singh Nijjar , according to a notification issued by the Punjab Vidhan Sabha secretariat on Saturday. The members of the committee are -- AAP MLAs Ajay Gupta, Amandeep Kaur Arora, Inderjit Kaur Mann, Jagdeep Kamboj, Neena Mittal, Baljinder Kaur, Budh Ram, Bram Shanker Jimpa, Madan Lal Bagga, and Mohammad Jamil Ur Rahman; BJP MLA Jangi Lal Mahajan, Congress legislators Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa and Balwinder Singh Dhaliwal; and Shiromani Akali Dal legislator Manpreet Singh Ayali. Live Events Punjab Advocate General Maninderjit Singh Bedi will be the ex-officio member of the committee. The anti-sacrilege bill was introduced on July 14 in the House. The bill mandates strict punishment, extending up to life imprisonment, for the desecration of holy scriptures , including the Guru Granth Sahib, Bhagavad Gita, Bible and Quran. According to 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. Those attempting to commit the offence may be sentenced to three to five years and shall also be liable to pay a fine which may extend up to Rs 3 lakh. Individuals found abetting the crime will be punished in accordance with the offence committed. Under the Bill, offence means any sacrilege, damage, destruction, defacing, disfiguring, de-colouring, de-filling, decomposing, burning, breaking or tearing of any holy scripture or part thereof. Sacrilege has been an emotive issue in Punjab. There has been a demand from various quarters for stringent punishment for sacrilege after the incidents of desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib in 2015 in Faridkot. In the police firing at anti-sacrilege protesters in October 2015, two persons were killed in Behbal Kalan, while some persons were injured at Kotkapura in Faridkot.
Indian Express
19-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Anti-sacrilege bill: Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker constitutes select committee; Inderbir Nijjar to head panel
Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kultar Sandhwan on Saturday constituted the select committee of the House to consult with all stakeholders and give suggestions on the draft of the Punjab Prevention of Offences Against Holy Scripture(s) Bill, 2025, tabled in the Assembly on Tuesday. The 15-member committee will be led by former Cabinet minister Dr Inderbir Singh Nijjar. The panel will comprise Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs Ajay Gupta, Amandeep Kaur Arora, Inderjit Kaur Mann, Jagdeep Kamboj, Baljinder Kaur, Neena Mittal, Budh Ram, Bram Shankar Jimpa, Mohd Jamil-Ur-Rehman, and Madan Lal Bagga, Congress MLAs Tripat Rajinder Singh Bajwa and Balwinder Singh Dhaliwal, BJP MLA Jangi Lal Mahajan and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) MLA Manpreet Ayali. While the committee has members from all faiths and is headed by a baptised Sikh, Punjab Advocate General Maninder Jit Singh Bedi will be the ex officio member. The select committee will submit its report to the Speaker within six months. The Punjab Vidhan Sabha had tabled the Bill on Monday in a special session of the Assembly. According to the statement of objectives and reasons of the Bill, there have been attempts to disturb the peace and communal harmony in the state by committing sacrilege of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, the Srimad Bhagavad Gita, the Quran, and other holy scriptures. The government said it was determined not to allow such incidents and ensure deterrent action against all those who commit such sacrilege. The proposed Bill aims to achieve this objective by providing life imprisonment for acts of sacrilege.
