Punjab Assembly forms 15-member committee to review anti-sacrilege Bill 2025
PTC Web Desk: The Punjab Legislative Assembly has constituted a 15-member special committee to review and strengthen the the historic Punjab Prevention of Offences Against Holy Scripture(s) Bill, 2025. The committee has been tasked with refining the Bill, which was recently tabled in the Assembly, with the aim of presenting an improved version within the next six months.
Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan announced the formation of the committee, which will be chaired by Dr Inderbir Singh Nijjar. The panel comprises a mix of current legislators, former ministers, and educationists, who will work in coordination with the Punjab Government to develop a more robust legislative framework.
The committee includes the following members: Dr Inderbir Singh Nijjar (Chairman), Dr Ajay Gupta, Dr Amandeep Kaur Arora, Inderjit Kaur Mann, Jagdish Kamboz, Jangi Lal Mahajan, Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Neena Mittal, Prof Baljinder Kaur, Principal Budh Ram, Brahm Shankar Jimpa, Balwinder Singh Dhaliwal, Madanlal Bagga, Manpreet Singh Ayali, and Mohammad Jameel-ur-Rehman.
The Bill was initially introduced by the Punjab Government during a special session. Despite the ruling Aam Aadmi Party’s majority, the Bill was not passed, as Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan exercised his discretionary powers to halt its approval.
Instead, he referred the Bill to the newly formed select committee for further deliberation. The committee will consult religious institutions and gather expert feedback before finalising the draft. A timeline of six months has been set for this process.
The draft Bill proposes stringent punishments for the desecration of religious scriptures from all major religions, with penalties ranging from 10 years’ imprisonment to life imprisonment.
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- PTC NEWS
