3 attempts in 10 years: What’s new in Punjab’s latest anti-sacrilege Bill?

Any person who commits an offence of sacrilege of the Guru Granth Sahib shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which shall not be less than seven years but which may extend to 20 years. There will also be a fine which shall not be less than Rs 2 lakh but which may extend to Rs 10 lakh.

The Bill defines “sacrilege” as damaging, burning, tearing, stealing, or insulting the Guru Granth Sahib in any form, including online content. The offence is classified as cognisable and non-bailable, meaning the police can arrest someone without a warrant and that bail is not a matter of right.

Only senior police officers, not below the rank of deputy superintendent of police or assistant commissioner of police, can investigate such cases. The Bill also assigns responsibility to custodians to ensure proper care and safety of the saroop (physical copy) of the Guru Granth Sahib.

In the past, there has been a debate over the fact that sacrilege laws and harsher punishments could embolden politicians and police to misuse them to harass critics. The alleged instance of sacrilege of the Guru Granth Sahib in Bargari in 2015 influenced the political narrative in Punjab and was among the factors that led to demands for such a Bill.

How were the other Bills different?

The SAD-BJP government in 2016 had passed two Bills — The Indian Penal Code (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2016, and The Code of Criminal Procedure (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2016 — providing for life imprisonment for desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib.

The Centre, however, returned the Bill, stating that all religions must be treated equally in accordance with the secular nature of the Indian Constitution. It added that one religion cannot be singled out to propose life imprisonment for sacrilege and asked the Punjab government to either withdraw the Bill or include all religions in the proposed amendment.

Later, in 2018, during the Congress government led by Captain Amarinder Singh, the Assembly passed The Indian Penal Code (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2018, and The Code of Criminal Procedure (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2018. The Bills stipulated punishment up to life imprisonment for injury, damage, or sacrilege to the Guru Granth Sahib, Bhagavad Gita, Holy Quran, and Holy Bible.

The IPC (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2018, sought to amend the IPC by inserting Section 295AA. Under this section, a convict could be punished with a maximum of three years’ imprisonment with or without a fine. It also enhanced the punishment under Section 295 IPC (injuring or defiling a place of worship with intent to insult religion) from two to 10 years of imprisonment. However, both Bills did not receive the President’s assent.

How AAP’s Bill stands out

The new Bill does not seek amendments to the IPC and CrPC. Instead, it amends a state Act enacted during the SAD-BJP tenure in 2008. The original Act — The Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar Act, 2008 — aimed to ensure proper respect and care of the Guru Granth Sahib.

It focused on maintaining dignity in handling, storage, and transportation rather than imposing harsh punishments. It laid down clear guidelines for practices such as parkash (ceremonial opening) and sukhasan (closing), and required that the Guru Granth Sahib be kept in clean, respectful surroundings. It also placed responsibility on individuals, gurdwaras, and institutions to ensure proper care and safety.

However, its penalties were relatively mild and it was not meant as a strong deterrent in cases of intentional sacrilege. The government has now added provisions related to sacrilege, introducing harsher punishments.

Prior to this, the AAP government had tabled the Punjab Prevention of Offences against Holy Scriptures Bill, 2025, last July. This Bill was referred to a select committee of the Vidhan Sabha led by AAP MLA Dr Inderbir Singh Nijjar. While the Opposition members sought to question the government on the report, if any, submitted by the panel, they nevertheless supported the new Bill, ensuring its unanimous passage in the house.