CHANDIGARH: The Punjab legislative assembly on Monday unanimously passed the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Bill, 2026, introducing life imprisonment for conspiracy to commit sacrilege and expanding the law to cover acts of desecration through digital means.The amended law prescribes the harshest punishment for criminal conspiracy to commit sacrilege with intent to disturb communal harmony, mandating a minimum of 10 years’ imprisonment, extendable to life, along with fines ranging from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 25 lakh. Those abetting such offences will face the same punishment.For direct acts of sacrilege involving Saroops, the law provides for imprisonment between seven and 20 years and fines of Rs 2 lakh to Rs 10 lakh. Attempts to commit such offences will attract three to five years’ imprisonment and fines between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 3 lakh.The bill expands the scope of sacrilege to include acts committed through electronic means. It defines “sacrilege” as any wilful and deliberate act, “committed with the intent of desecration by way of physical damaging, defacing, burning, tearing or theft of the Saroop(s) of Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib or part thereof, or by words, either spoken or written, or by signs or by visible representations or through electronic means or otherwise, which is of such a nature as to hurt the religious feelings of persons professing the Sikh faith.”All offences under the Act have been classified as cognisable, non-bailable and non-compoundable, with trials to be conducted by courts of sessions. Investigations must be carried out by officers not below the rank of DSP or ACP and completed expeditiously.The bill also restricts printing, storage and distribution of Saroops to the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) or its authorised entities. It mandates a centralised register with unique identification numbers for each Saroop, with records to be maintained in both physical and digital formats and updated monthly on the SGPC website.Custodians have been placed under legal obligation to ensure safe custody and immediately report any damage, loss or suspected sacrilege. Officials said the amendment route was chosen to avoid delays linked to changes in central laws.KEY FEATURES OF LEGISLATIONLife imprisonment for conspiracy to commit sacrilege7–20 years’ jail for direct acts; attempts punishable with 3–5 yearsOffences non-bailable, non-compoundable; trials in sessions courtsDSP/ACP-rank officers to probe casesSGPC given exclusive control over printing and tracking of Saroops Definition of sacrilege expanded to include acts via electronic meansCovers content that hurts Sikh religious sentiments online or digitally
