The ਪੰਜਾਬ Vidhan Sabha ਅੱਜ unanimously decided to send the ਪੰਜਾਬ Prevention of Offences against Holy Scriptures Bill, 2025 to a Select Committee of MLAs. This committee will speak to various stakeholders, religious leaders, and the public before making any changes to the Bill. The decision came after a long debate of three and a half hours on the state ਸਰਕਾਰ’s much-awaited Anti-Sacrilege Bill, which was presented in the House yesterday by ਮੁੱਖ ਮੰਤਰੀ Bhagwant Mann.
After the discussion, CM Mann suggested that the Bill be referred to a Select Committee that includes MLAs from all political parties. He said that the Bill belongs to the 3.5 crore ਲੋਕ of ਪੰਜਾਬ and that their feedback must be included. Mann also proposed that the Committee be given four months to consult with the public and religious figures. However, Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan said that six months would be the maximum time allowed. Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa also agreed that the work should be completed within six months. The House then passed the proposal unanimously.
During the debate, AAP MLAs blamed the Shiromani Akali Dal and Congress governments for mishandling past sacrilege incidents, especially those that took place in 2015. They accused the Congress of not naming the Badal family in any chargesheets and said both parties had tried to protect each other. On the other hand, Opposition MLAs accused the AAP ਸਰਕਾਰ of not properly defending the cases, which led to their transfer outside ਪੰਜਾਬ.
Leader of Opposition Partap Bajwa demanded fixed timelines for investigation in sacrilege cases. He said that all inquiries should be completed within 30 days, with only limited extensions allowed by top ਪੁਲਿਸ officials. He also criticised the AAP ਸਰਕਾਰ for not taking action on the SIT report led by Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, who was later suspended by the party despite earlier being praised.
AAP ਮੰਤਰੀ Aman Arora said that the AAP-led SIT had named those responsible, unlike previous governments. Education ਮੰਤਰੀ Harjot Bains added that the Congress and SAD had protected each other during their time in power.
Congress MLA Pargat Singh questioned why the AAP ਸਰਕਾਰ had not yet granted permission to prosecute a religious dera head involved in one of the cases. However, he refused to name those who had delayed the investigation during the Congress ਸਰਕਾਰ when asked by AAP MLAs.
SAD MLA Dr Sukhwinder Kumar Sukhi said the law should also include punishment for those disrespecting leaders like Dr B R Ambedkar. BJP MLAs Ashwani Sharma and Jangi Lal Mahajan supported the Bill and demanded that ਲੋਕ who desecrate idols of Gods and Goddesses should also be punished under this law.
Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan said that the Select Committee will collect public suggestions and submit its report within a maximum of six months.
