Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], July 15 : Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday hailed two "historic bills" passed unanimously in the State Assembly on anti-sacrilege and drug-related crimes.
"Two historic bills were passed unanimously in the Punjab Assembly today. A bill has been passed to ensure strict punishment for those involved in desecration of religious texts, and a provision has been added to ensure strict punishment in cases of involvement in drugs... These decisions have been taken in the best interest of the people of Punjab...," CM Mann told reporters here.
The bills focussed on Strict Punishment for Desecration of Religious Texts: The Punjab Prevention of Offences Against Holy Scripture(s) Bill, 2025, proposes life imprisonment and hefty fines for individuals found guilty of desecrating sacred texts, including the Guru Granth Sahib, Bhagavad Gita, Holy Bible, and Quran Sharif.
The bill also covers attempts to commit sacrilege, with punishments ranging from 3 to 5 years of imprisonment and fines up to ₹3 lakh.
Another bill focussed on Tough Measures Against Drug-Related Crimes. Although specific details about the second bill are not provided, CM Mann emphasized that strict punishment will be meted out to those involved in drug-related activities, reflecting the government's commitment to addressing this critical issue.
Punjab Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond on Tuesday stated that the anti-sacrilegious bill is for the entire Punjabi community and the state of Punjab.
"This Bill is for the entire Punjabi community, the state of Punjab. All the religious books are pious," he told mediapersons.
Further hitting out at Punjab's Leader of Opposition (LoP), Pratap Singh Bajwa, over the disruptions in the Punjab assembly, he said, "He has been a 5-time MLA in the Punjab Assembly, an MP, a candidate for the CM post and now Punjab LoP. These cases of sacrilege have been happening for 21 years since 2004. Sometimes he quotes lack of preparation, sometimes lack of information..."
'Yesterday's debate in the Assembly was ruined as well... The time they are asking for is to divert the entire matter... They are prepared to counter us, and even we are,' he added.
This comes after Bajwa alleged the Punjab Government handled the sacrilege bill "disgracefully,"calling it a "mockery" of democracy.
"The Mann Govt's handling of the sacrilege bill is disgraceful. Draft handed to us just minutes before the debate--this is not governance; it's a mockery of democracy. Punjab deserves sincerity, not political drama," Bajwa said in a post on X.
On Monday, the AAP government introduced in the Punjab Assembly an anti-sacrilege bill, proposing punishment up to life imprisonment for sacrilegious acts against religious scriptures.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann tabled the 'Punjab Prevention of Offences Against Holy Scripture(s) Bill 2025' in the House for discussion.
This move marks a major step toward fulfilling a long-standing demand of the people of Punjab for stricter laws to address sacrilege cases in the state. The announcement came from the state government, describing the upcoming assembly session as "historic for Punjab."
Earlier, Bharatiya Janata Party leader and the Party's Punjab in charge, Ashwani Kumar Sharma commented on the Anti-sacrilege bill, introduced today in Punjab Assembly and called it a move to 'divert attention from major issues" and asked the 'definition' of sacrilege in the bill.
Ashwani Kumar Sharma raised question as to why the bill was not brought up in the last three years and said, "Is the government doing this, do divert attention from the major issues?... This is such a sensitive issue and why has the government not brought this up in three years? They should have sent the bill to us earlier and there should have been a discussion on it. What would be the definition of sacrilege in the bill?..."