{"id":4529,"date":"2025-07-09T08:44:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-09T08:44:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jeevaypunjab.com\/?p=4529"},"modified":"2025-07-09T07:58:43","modified_gmt":"2025-07-09T07:58:43","slug":"punjab-sacrilege-bill-government-proposes-life-sentences-where-sacrilege-leads-to-riots-or-deaths-guardians-to-be-held-accountable-in-some-cases","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jeevaypunjab.com\/?p=4529","title":{"rendered":"Punjab sacrilege bill: Government proposes life sentences where sacrilege leads to riots or deaths\u2014guardians to be held accountable in some cases."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Punjab\u2019s bold legal assault on sacrilege marks a turning point in its efforts to safeguard religious harmony. On July 9, 2025, the Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party government unveiled a sweeping plan for a new anti\u2011sacrilege bill\u2014set to be tabled during a special July 10\u201311 assembly session\u2014that proposes the harshest possible punishments, including life imprisonment or even the death penalty, for anyone found guilty of desecrating holy scriptures such as the Guru Granth Sahib, Bhagavad Gita, Quran, or Bible. This is not Punjab\u2019s first attempt to legislate against sacrilege. It is, in fact, the <strong>third successive administration<\/strong> to do so. Earlier efforts in 2016 by the SAD\u2011BJP government and in 2018 by the Congress-led regime faltered when the Centre refused to grant presidential assent, citing constitutional concerns over secularism and the need for equal treatment of all faiths. What sets this proposal apart is that it would be anchored in the framework of the <strong>new Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS)<\/strong>\u2014a revised criminal code replacing the older Indian Penal Code\u2014designed to bypass the legal and procedural hurdles that scuttled past attempts. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, whose government convened a high\u2011level meeting with representatives of the Sarb Dharam Beadbi Rokko Kanoon Morcha, stressed that this legislation must be both <strong>&#8220;water\u2011tight&#8221;<\/strong> and uncompromising in scope.The intent is clear: to fill legal lacunae that have in the past allowed perpetrators to escape meaningful consequences. CM Mann said, \u201cPeople who commit sacrilege often walk away with minor penalties. We are bringing a law that ensures the severest punishment\u2014including the death penalty\u2014if someone intentionally insults our sacred scriptures\u201d. Meanwhile, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema reassured the public that legal experts\u2014including the Advocate General and Legal Remembrancer\u2014are being consulted to ensure the bill is constitutionally sound from the outset. In India, where \u201claw and order\u201d is a concurrent list subject, Punjab asserts its right to legislate boldly when the Centre fails to act. Officials argue that the BNS empowers states to introduce tougher punishments tailored to local sensitivities, including for sacred texts\u2014a domain not explicitly covered by central law. But this decisive stance is not without controversy. Legal commentators caution that words like \u201csacrilege\u201d remain <strong>vague and open to misuse<\/strong>, giving rise to potential violations of free speech or politically motivated prosecutions. Observers also question whether capital punishment is legally permissible in this context and whether the Supreme Court might eventually challenge its proportionality. Arguably, using the death penalty in sacrilege cases risks international scrutiny, especially in a secular democracy.The proposed legislation also contains novel elements aimed at deterrence and collective responsibility. It provides for <strong>life imprisonment if sacrilegious acts lead to riots or deaths<\/strong>, and even proposes that <strong>guardians of juveniles or persons with disabilities<\/strong> be held accountable for their charges\u2019 actions. That reflects Punjab\u2019s longstanding fears of sacrilege triggering communal strife\u2014as seen in the infamous <strong>2015 Bargari\u2011Behbal Kalan<\/strong> incidents and the tragic aftermath including police firing. Those episodes left deep scars on the Sikh psyche and continue to resonate in the state\u2019s politics and public discourse. Public sentiment on the issue remains intense. Gurjeet Singh Khalsa, who has <strong>protested atop a BSNL tower in Samana since October 2024<\/strong>, continues to demand the death sentence for sacrilege convicts; his hunger strike has become a potent symbol, amplifying political urgency. Meanwhile, opposition parties and activists\u2014particularly from the SAD and BJP\u2014warn that such a sweeping law could be exploited to silence critics and settle political scores, undermining civil liberties .As Punjab readies its special assembly session, the world watches closely. The outcome will likely set a precedent\u2014not just for the state, but also for other Indian regions facing similar religious tensions\u2014on how far regional governments can go in legislating at the intersection of faith, law, and order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>This is a web\u2011generated news report.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Punjab\u2019s bold legal assault on sacrilege marks a turning point in its efforts to safeguard religious harmony. On July 9, 2025, the Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party government unveiled a sweeping plan for a new anti\u2011sacrilege bill\u2014set to be tabled during a special July 10\u201311 assembly session\u2014that proposes the harshest possible punishments, including life imprisonment or [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4530,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[24,22],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-4529","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-politics","8":"category-punjab-2"},"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/jeevaypunjab.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Punjab-CM.jpg",536,492,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/jeevaypunjab.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Punjab-CM-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/jeevaypunjab.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Punjab-CM-300x275.jpg",300,275,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/jeevaypunjab.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Punjab-CM.jpg",536,492,false],"large":["https:\/\/jeevaypunjab.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Punjab-CM.jpg",536,492,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/jeevaypunjab.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Punjab-CM.jpg",536,492,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/jeevaypunjab.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Punjab-CM.jpg",536,492,false],"td_150x0":["https:\/\/jeevaypunjab.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Punjab-CM-150x138.jpg",150,138,true],"td_218x150":["https:\/\/jeevaypunjab.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Punjab-CM-218x150.jpg",218,150,true],"td_300x0":["https:\/\/jeevaypunjab.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Punjab-CM-300x275.jpg",300,275,true],"td_324x400":["https:\/\/jeevaypunjab.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Punjab-CM-324x400.jpg",324,400,true],"td_485x360":["https:\/\/jeevaypunjab.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Punjab-CM-485x360.jpg",485,360,true],"td_696x0":["https:\/\/jeevaypunjab.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Punjab-CM.jpg",536,492,false],"td_1068x0":["https:\/\/jeevaypunjab.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Punjab-CM.jpg",536,492,false],"td_1920x0":["https:\/\/jeevaypunjab.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Punjab-CM.jpg",536,492,false],"td_265x198":["https:\/\/jeevaypunjab.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Punjab-CM-265x198.jpg",265,198,true],"td_741x486":["https:\/\/jeevaypunjab.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Punjab-CM-536x486.jpg",536,486,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Praveen Soni","author_link":"https:\/\/jeevaypunjab.com\/?author=2"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Punjab\u2019s bold legal assault on sacrilege marks a turning point in its efforts to safeguard religious harmony. On July 9, 2025, the Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party government unveiled a sweeping plan for a new anti\u2011sacrilege bill\u2014set to be tabled during a special July 10\u201311 assembly session\u2014that proposes the harshest possible punishments, including life imprisonment or&hellip;","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jeevaypunjab.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4529","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jeevaypunjab.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jeevaypunjab.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jeevaypunjab.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jeevaypunjab.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4529"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/jeevaypunjab.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4529\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4531,"href":"https:\/\/jeevaypunjab.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4529\/revisions\/4531"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jeevaypunjab.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4530"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jeevaypunjab.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4529"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jeevaypunjab.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4529"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jeevaypunjab.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4529"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}