A special committee of Punjab MLAs will meet today for the first time to discuss the Anti-Sacrilege Bill. The meeting will take place at the Vidhan Sabha secretariat. The committee is led by AAP MLA Inderbir Singh Nijjar, who is also the chairman of Chief Khalsa Diwan.
The main aim of the meeting is to plan how to gather suggestions from the public and religious leaders about the new law — Punjab Prevention of Offences against Holy Scriptures Bill, 2025.
The committee includes:
Congress MLAs: Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa and Balwinder Singh
BJP MLA: Jangi Lal Mahajan
SAD MLA: Manpreet Singh Ayali
AAP MLAs (10 members): Ajay Gupta, Amandeep Kaur, Inderjit Kaur Mann, Baljinder Kaur, Nina Mittal, Jagdeep Kamboj, Budh Ram, Brahm Shankar Jimpa, Madan Bagga, and Mohammad Jamil-ur-Rehman
Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan had announced their names recently. The committee has six months to gather opinions and present their report.
The Bill was passed in the Punjab Assembly on July 15. It says that anyone found guilty of sacrilege (disrespecting or damaging holy scriptures) can face 10 years to life imprisonment and a fine of ₹5 to ₹10 lakh.
The law will apply to these scriptures: Guru Granth Sahib, Bhagavad Gita, Quran, and Bible.
Only a police officer of DSP rank or above can investigate such cases. These offences will be treated seriously in court and cannot be settled outside.
Also, people who help or plan such acts can face 3 to 5 years in jail and a fine of up to ₹3 lakh.
Once officially published, the law will be applicable across the entire state of Punjab.
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