Claiming credit by calling the sacrilege cases bill a new initiative and misleading people is condemnable: Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa

Chandigarh, March 29, 2026: Former Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab and MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa strongly criticized Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann for presenting the Code of Criminal Procedure (Punjab Amendment) Bill-2018 as a new legal step and seeking credit for introducing it on April 13. He said this is misleading the people of Punjab and is unjust to the public.
Randhawa claimed that he had already formally raised this issue in 2021 by writing directly to Union Home Minister Amit Shah. This is clearly recorded and well documented. He added that the amendment had already been introduced, passed, and published in the Punjab Government Gazette (Extraordinary) on August 27, 2018, during the then Congress government.
He said that the Aam Aadmi Party government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann is now planning to present it again in a special session of the Punjab Assembly on April 13, but this is not a new legal step. Facts matter, he emphasized. The public deserves transparency and should not be misled by selective or half-truth political narratives.
Randhawa further stated that the truth should not be hidden for political gain. Referring to the bill in 2026 is essentially an acknowledgment of the Congress legacy, which strengthened Punjab against religious crimes. As Punjabis prepare for Baisakhi and the Assembly’s 70th session, the focus should be on implementation and impact rather than taking credit.
The former Deputy Chief Minister explained that the bill aimed to amend the First Schedule of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, to introduce stricter punishment for offenses involving sacrilege of religious texts or places of worship, or acts intended to hurt religious sentiments. It made such offenses cognizable and triable by a First Class Magistrate, with punishment extending up to 10 years of imprisonment, a fine, or both.
Published under Rule 121 of the Assembly’s procedure rules, the bill reflected the Congress government’s commitment to protecting national unity and religious harmony amid rising incidents of sacrilege in the state.
Contrary to being presented as a new initiative by the Aam Aadmi Party, the 2018 amendment was brought in response to demands for strict action against sacrilege. Amendments to the IPC were also introduced the same day. The Congress government had swiftly secured cabinet approval on August 21, 2018, and later passed the bill unanimously in the Assembly, demonstrating strong leadership.
The bill aimed to provide punishment up to life imprisonment for acts of sacrilege involving sacred texts such as the Guru Granth Sahib, Bhagavad Gita, Quran, and Bible, thereby addressing a major gap in the legal system.
Now, eight years later, the government led by Bhagwant Singh Mann is attempting to reintroduce this law, at a time when sacrilege cases and high-profile incidents have intensified public anger. The announcement of the special session came just seven days after a meeting with religious leaders in Amritsar on March 21, 2026, indicating that the government may be planning to implement or further amend the provisions of the 2018 Act, possibly within the framework of the Jagat Jyot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar Act, 2008.
However, this move cannot erase the historical fact that the foundation of this legal framework was laid by the Congress government, which prioritized swift justice for such serious offenses.