In a major decision today, the Punjab Cabinet, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, has approved a strong new law to deal with sacrilege—acts of disrespect or damage to religious books and places of worship.
The proposed law, called the Anti-Sacrilege Bill, is expected to be presented in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha later today. This move comes after repeated public demands for stricter punishment against those who intentionally hurt religious sentiments.
Right now, Punjab doesn’t have a tough law to punish sacrilege. But if this new bill becomes law, anyone found guilty of deliberately disrespecting holy books or sacred sites could face life imprisonment. That means they could spend the rest of their life in jail.
The bill also proposes setting up special fast-track courts to deal with these cases quickly and fairly. To further ensure strict action, those convicted under this law will not be allowed parole.
This step marks a bold move by the Punjab government to take a zero-tolerance stand on sacrilege, a matter that has caused protests and public anger in the past. The new law aims to protect religious harmony and send a strong message that such acts will not be tolerated.
