The attempt by the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab to enact a stringent anti-sacrilege law is neither novel nor unexpected. Earlier, efforts by regimes led by the Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party alliance and the Indian National Congress had failed to secure gubernatorial approval.

Undeterred, the present administration has introduced the Jagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Sataar Amendment Bill, 2026, which sailed through the assembly unanimously in a special session. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has expressed confidence that the Bill will pass muster since it amends an existing 2008 law rather than creating a new framework.

Yet, the substance of the amendment is far from modest. It prescribes a minimum of 10 years’ imprisonment, extendable to........

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