Punjab: Anti-sacrilege bill likely to be introduced next week

Punjab: The much-awaited draft bill ensuring stringent punishment in sacrilege cases could not be introduced in the Punjab Assembly on Friday. Now, the bill will be introduced on Monday or Tuesday, depending on how quickly the government is able to prepare it. A day earlier, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had announced that the draft bill would be introduced in the House on Friday. According to sources in the Chief Minister’s Office, today his focus was on the proposal to withdraw consent for deployment of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) in BBMB establishments.

“We do not want any loopholes in the draft bill. That is why it is taking time,” a senior Punjab government official said. After the draft is ready, it will first be approved by the Punjab Council of Ministers. However, the bill will not come into force immediately. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had earlier announced that he wanted to include death penalty for crimes of sacrilege of any religion. It is learned that the draft bill on sacrilege is being finalised and may include a punishment of 10 years imprisonment.