Punjab govt’s anti-sacrilege Bill becomes law

way2barak, April 20: In a shot in the arm for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government ahead of next year’s Punjab assembly elections, governor Gulab Chand Kataria has granted assent to the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Bill-2026, paving the way for it to become a law.

Chief minister Bhagwant Mann, who is currently abroad on an official tour, shared the development on social media. “Honourable Governor Shri Gulab Chand Kataria Ji has signed the bill passed in the Legislative Assembly against the desecration of Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. Now, this bill has become a law. I am very grateful to Waheguru ji for taking this service from a humble person like me. Thanks to the sangat,” he said in a post on X, along with an image of the official document showing that the governor accorded assent on Friday.

The anti-sacrilege bill, which proposed amendments to the original Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar Act-2008 to provide for stringent punishments, was tabled in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha by the chief minister during a special one-day session last week to deter incidents of sacrilege and uphold the sanctity of the Guru Granth Sahib. It was passed unanimously with support from members of the ruling AAP and opposition parties, including the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), after three hours of discussion. On Friday, the CM took to social media to announce that the bill had been sent to the governor, who approved it the same day.

The Act will come into force on a date as may be specified by the state government by notification in the official gazette. Once it becomes effective, any offences committed thereafter will be dealt with under this law. Under the amended provisions, any act of sacrilege will attract imprisonment of seven years, extendable up to 20 years, along with a fine ranging from ₹2 lakh to ₹10 lakh.

Stricter penalties – imprisonment of not less than 10 years, extendable to life term, along with fines of up to ₹25 lakh – have been provided for an act of sacrilege carried out as part of a criminal conspiracy with the intention of disrupting peace or communal harmony. Similarly, any individual who abets the commission of an offence will be liable to the same punishment as provided for the offence so abetted. A new section has been inserted mandating the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) to maintain a central register of ‘saroops’ (copies of Guru Granth Sahib), allotting each a unique identification number, along with details of printing, storage, distribution and supply.