Punjab has formally enacted a stringent anti-sacrilege law after Governor Gulab Chand Kataria gave his assent, turning a unanimously passed Assembly Bill into law. The legislation marks one of the strongest legal frameworks in the state specifically aimed at protecting the sanctity of the Guru Granth Sahib.
Following the approval, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema launched a sharp political attack on opposition parties, particularly the Shiromani Akali Dal and Congress. He accused them of historically enacting weak laws on sacrilege and obstructing stronger provisions, alleging that earlier governments deliberately avoided strict penalties to protect political interests. Cheema described the Governor’s approval as a rebuttal to what he called “misleading propaganda” against the current government.
The law introduces severe punishments for acts of sacrilege. Any deliberate act such as damage, defacement, burning, tearing, or theft of the Guru Granth Sahib, as well as expressions—spoken, written, symbolic, or digital—that hurt religious sentiments, can now attract life imprisonment along with fines of up to ₹25 lakh. In cases involving conspiracy to disturb communal harmony, punishment ranges from 10 years to life imprisonment, with substantial financial penalties.
Even attempted sacrilege has been criminalised with jail terms ranging from three to five years and fines between ₹1 lakh and ₹3 lakh, indicating the law’s intent to act both as a deterrent and a punitive mechanism.
A significant administrative feature of the law is the role assigned to the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee. The SGPC will maintain a centralised registry of all ‘Saroops’ (physical copies) of the Guru Granth Sahib. This registry will include detailed records such as identification numbers, printing details, storage locations, and custodianship. Custodians are now legally obligated to ensure proper handling in accordance with Sikh religious code, failing which they may face up to five years of imprisonment and fines up to ₹10 lakh.
The law also tightens the investigation process by mandating that only senior police officials—of at least deputy superintendent or assistant commissioner rank—can handle such cases, aiming to ensure seriousness and accountability in investigations.
This development comes after multiple failed attempts in the past. Similar Bills introduced by earlier governments, including those led by the Akali Dal-BJP alliance in 2016 and Congress in 2018, did not receive presidential assent, leaving a legal gap in addressing sacrilege-related offences. The current government argued that existing provisions under general criminal law were insufficient and lacked the specificity and severity required for such sensitive issues.
With the Bill now in force, Punjab has moved to create a dedicated, religion-specific legal framework addressing sacrilege—something that has long been a politically and socially charged demand in the state. The law is expected to have significant implications not only for law enforcement but also for the broader political discourse around religion, governance, and public order in Punjab.
