Punjab Govt Forms Select Committee to Strengthen Sacrilege Law, First Meeting Scheduled in Assembly
Chandigarh (The Uttam Hindu): To curb incidents of sacrilege and protect religious sentiments, the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab has taken a major step by forming a select committee to review and strengthen the state’s sacrilege law. The first meeting of this committee, chaired by MLA Dr. Inderbir Singh Nijjar, will be held on Thursday at 11 AM in the Punjab Assembly.
Tasked with studying various aspects of the law and suggesting necessary amendments, the committee has been given six months to submit a detailed report in the Assembly. The move is aimed at making the law more effective in safeguarding religious places and sentiments, following repeated incidents of sacrilege in recent years that sparked public outrage and demands for stricter legal action.
Members of the committee, including legislators from different parties and experts, are expected to gather suggestions from religious organizations, social activists, and the public before finalizing their recommendations. The Punjab Sacrilege Law, officially implemented as the Punjab Sacred Texts Act 2025, seeks to prevent the desecration of holy books like Guru Granth Sahib, the Quran, the Bible, and the Bhagavad Gita, and carries a punishment of up to 10 years in prison, with life imprisonment for repeat offenders or cases leading to violence or death. Passed and enacted by the Punjab Assembly in July 2025, the law is now under review to make it even more stringent and impactful.