On Saturday, the Punjab cabinet approved the Jagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which aims to impose life imprisonment and fines between ₹5 lakh and ₹25 lakh for acts of sacrilege against the Guru Granth Sahib and other religious texts. This decision was made in response to nearly 600 reported cases of desecration over the last ten years, with a significant number involving Sikh scriptures. Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann emphasized the need for stringent legal measures to protect the sanctity of holy scriptures and promote communal harmony. The bill mandates a minimum of 10 years imprisonment, extendable to life, for damaging any holy scripture. Despite previous attempts to strengthen laws against sacrilege, such as the 2016 IPC (Punjab Amendment) Bill, these efforts have faced obstacles, including rejection by the Central government citing the need for equal treatment of all religions. The issue of sacrilege remains a sensitive topic in Punjab, with past incidents leading to public protests and unrest.