AAP to bring anti-sacrilege law during special session of Punjab Assembly

Chandigarh: The AAP government will bring a law to ensure harsher punishment for acts of sacrilege against religious scriptures in a two-day special session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha starting July 10.

"Those who commit sacrilege will no longer escape, a new era of justice is about to begin," Aam Aadmi Party spokesperson Neel Garg said in a post on X on Saturday.

“बेअदबी करने वाले अब बच नहीं पाएँगे – पंजाब में इंसाफ़ का नया दौर शुरू होने वाला है।”

📅 10-11 जुलाई को #AAP सरकार लाएगी बेअदबी के खिलाफ सख़्त कानून
यह सिर्फ़ कानून नहीं — पंजाबियों की आत्मा की ਅਵਾਜ਼ है।

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— Neel Garg (@GargNeel) July 5, 2025

The Bhagwant Mann government will convene the special session of the Punjab Assembly on July 10 and 11.

AAP leader Baltej Pannu said the state government is bringing a bill in the upcoming Assembly session to completely prevent sacrilege incidents so that in the future, no one "dares to insult" the holy scriptures of any religion and the "religious sentiments" of people of all faiths "remain protected" at all times.

The Punjab Cabinet will hold a meeting on July 7 to summon the special session.

Chief Minister Mann had said previously on June 28 that his government would bring a law for stricter punishment for acts of sacrilege. His announcement had come after holding a meeting with representatives of the 'Sarb Dharam Beadbi Rokko Kanoon Morcha'.

Mann had expressed concern over existing legal loopholes that allow individuals guilty of "such unpardonable acts" to walk free, calling it completely unwarranted and unacceptable.

Reaffirming his government's commitment to justice, Mann said that every person involved in sacrilegious acts, either directly or indirectly, would face exemplary punishment.

The chief minister highlighted that while the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) provides clear provisions regarding religious places, it remains silent on holy 'granths'.

He said that as the subject falls under the concurrent list, the state has the authority to enact such legislation. Mann added that the government would consult leading legal experts to ensure that a robust state legislation is enacted -- one that prevents offenders from evading strict consequences, including the possibility of capital punishment for "such heinous crimes".

History of anti-sacrilege law

It is not the first time that a law was being brought for stricter punishment for perpetrators of "sacrilege".

In 2018, the Amarinder Singh government had passed two bills -- Indian Penal Code (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2018, and the Code of Criminal Procedure (Punjab Amendment) Bill 2018, which stipulated a punishment of up to life imprisonment for injury, damage or sacrilege to Guru Granth Sahib, Bhagavad Gita, Quran and the Bible.

However, the two Bills did not get the president's assent.

Key sacrilege events

Sacrilege against religious scriptures has been an emotive issue in Punjab.

In Faridkot in 2015, a 'bir' (copy) of Guru Ganth Sahib from Burj Jawahar Singh Wala gurdwara was stolen, handwritten "sacrilegious posters" in Bargari and Burj Jawahar Singh Wala were found and torn pages of the holy book were seen scattered at Bargari.

These incidents had led to anti-sacrilege protests in Faridkot. In police firing at anti-sacrilege protesters in October 2015, two persons were killed in Behbal Kalan, while some persons were injured at Kotkapura in Faridkot.