Chandigarh, April 3: Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan announced Friday that the Punjab Vidhan Sabha will hold a special legislative session on April 13 to deliberate on a stringent new anti-sacrilege law. The session, scheduled to begin at 11 am on the auspicious day of Baisakhi, follows a formal recommendation from the Punjab Cabinet to tighten existing legal frameworks.
The proposed legislation aims to establish harsher imprisonment terms and significant financial penalties for those found guilty of desecrating holy scriptures. Speaker Sandhwan affirmed that the move responds to a persistent public demand for heightened accountability and justice regarding sacrilege incidents in the state.
“The objective is to protect the sanctity of all holy scriptures and religious sites while maintaining communal harmony,” the Speaker stated. He noted that all Members of the Legislative Assembly have been summoned to participate in the high-stakes discussion.
While the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) expressed support for the initiative to strengthen the law, the body also sought further clarity on the specific legal mechanisms involved. The timing of the session on Baisakhi is widely seen as a symbolic gesture by the government to address an issue of deep cultural and religious sensitivity.
