As Punjab MLAs draw fire over ‘not reading’ anti-sacrilege Bill, what it means

Several experts said that in a vibrant democracy, it is “criminal and irresponsible” for legislators to pass laws, which have a bearing on people’s lives, without reading them. They also flagged concerns over sensitive Bills being passed “within minutes and often without meaningful debate”.

“Every Bill has to undergo three readings — introduction, detailed discussion and scrutiny – and finally voting. Broadly, the procedure is the same in Parliament and Assemblies. But these constitutional safeguards are hardly being followed,” said Ashutosh Kumar, professor of political science at Panjab University, Chandigarh.

Elaborating, Kumar said the first reading is the formal introduction of the Bill, while the second reading is the most important stage, involving detailed debate, clause-by-clause scrutiny and, where necessary, referral to a Select Committee for wider consultation. The third reading is the final vote before the Bill is sent to the President or Governor for assent, he added.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann addresses the “Public Meeting” organised at Gajewas village in Patiala. (@BhagwantMann X/ANI Photo)

“Today, the second reading — the heart of the legislative process — is no longer being taken seriously. Bills are being passed within minutes, without discussion, including in Punjab. Many lawmakers now see constituency work as their primary responsibility, not lawmaking. At the state level, it has become an even bigger circus, with multiple Bills being passed in quick succession without MLAs reading a word,” Kumar said.

He also criticised the growing practice of passing legislation in the absence of the Opposition. “Passing legislation without reading or debating it is criminal and irresponsible… Not consulting the Akal Takht on such (anti-sacrilege) legislation was a grave mistake,” he said.

‘No response to queries’

Paramvir Singh, professor in the Department of Encyclopaedia of Sikhism at Punjabi University, Patiala, and a member of the SGPC’s Sikh History Research Board, said he was among the 15-member SGPC committee constituted to advise the Punjab government on the separately proposed anti-sacrilege legislation, “The Punjab Prevention of Offences Against Holy Scriptures Bill, 2025”, covering religious texts of all faiths.

The 2025 all-faith legislation is still in the pipeline after being referred to the Select Committee, headed by AAP MLA Dr Inderbir Singh Nijjar, by the state Assembly in July last year.

“First, the government never responded to our queries or shared details despite repeated reminders on the 2025 proposed new law to protect scriptures of all faiths, including the Gita, Ramayana, Quran and Bible. Then instead, it quietly introduced the separate Sri Guru Granth Sahib-specific 2026 Amendment to the previous 2008 Act without consulting Sikh scholars or the SGPC or Akal Takht. For the 2026 Amendment Act, our committee was never consulted,” he said.

Akal Takht jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargajj. (Express photo)

Calling the MLAs’ admissions “extremely unfortunate”, Singh said it set a wrong precedent that legislators had passed such a sensitive law without even reading it.

Former Punjabi University professor and head of the political science department Dr Kehar Singh said the episode reflected a “disturbing national trend”.

“It has become an unhealthy practice for MPs and MLAs to pass laws without reading them. This responsibility has effectively been left to a select few. The anti-sacrilege Bill was rushed through. It was not circulated in advance and members were given no time to study it. The government appeared more interested in scoring political points than ensuring proper legislative scrutiny,” he said.

Referring to the Akal Takht proceedings, he added: “For Sikhs, one cannot lie before the Akal Takht. That is why the MLAs admitted they had not read the Bill.”

Former Punjab Assembly Speaker Rana K P Singh echoed such views. “What happened today shows how seriously legislators treat sensitive laws. Members of the House must be given reasonable time to study and reflect on proposed legislation before voting on it,” he said.

‘Anti-defection law link’

Senior Congress leader and Lok Sabha MP Manish Tewari said legislators have a constitutional and moral duty to read every word of a Bill before supporting it, but argued that the anti-defection law has significantly curtailed independent legislative judgment.

“Whenever a legislation comes before any House it is incumbent upon every MP and MLA to read every word before saying ‘Aye’. The difficulty, however, lies with the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, commonly known as the anti-defection law. Once a party whip is issued, legislators are often unable to exercise their conscience, represent constituency concerns or apply independent judgment, as defying the whip can invite disqualification. That is deeply unfortunate,” Tewari said.