Chandigarh, April 13 -- The Punjab Vidhan Sabha is set to take up the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Bill, 2026, on Monday, proposing stricter punishment, ranging from a minimum of 10 years to life imprisonment, for any act of beadbi (sacrilege) against Guru Granth Sahib. The bill will be introduced during a special session of the state assembly convened by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government. Once the House clears it, the bill will go to the Punjab governor for approval. The governor may either grant assent, allowing it to become law, or forward it to the President for further consideration. The proposed amendments to the 2008 law also seek to impose fines ranging from Rs.5 lakh to Rs.25 lakh to deter incidents of sacrilege and uphold the sanctity of Guru Granth Sahib. While the bill is being seen as the ruling AAP's move to seize the narrative on the politically sensitive sacrilege issue ahead of the state assembly polls due early next year, the Opposition has criticised it as an attempt by the government to cover up its failure to punish the guilty in sacrilege cases, despite being in power for more than four years. Chief minister Bhagwant Mann said on Sunday that several incidents involving beadbi of the Guru Granth Sahib and other revered holy scriptures had deeply hurt public sentiments and disturbed social harmony in the past. He added that while Sections 298, 299 and 300 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, dealt with such matters, they did not prescribe sufficiently stringent punishment to deter such acts. "After careful consideration, the government has decided that stronger legal measures are necessary to safeguard the sanctity of Guru Granth Sahib, and promote mutual respect and communal harmony," he stated while addressing a gathering in Talwandi Sabo on Sunday. He also expressed confidence that the move would act as a strong deterrent against such acts and help maintain peace across the state. The draft amendment bill was approved by the state council of ministers at a meeting chaired by Mann in Chandigarh on Saturday. After the cabinet meeting, a minister said the proposed amendments also provided for punishment to those who mastermind the sacrilege by using a mentally disabled person as part of a conspiracy. Investigations in sacrilege incidents will be conducted by an officer of the rank deputy superintendent of police. As per Punjab government data, as many as 597 cases of sacrilege were reported in the last one decade. Of the 597 cases, 480 involve sacrilege of Sikh religious scriptures and shrines, 92 involve Hindu religious places, 14 Muslim shrines and scriptures, and 11 Christian places of worship. So far, out of 597 FIRs, only 44 have ended in conviction. Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring on Sunday said the special assembly session was only an attempt to "cover up its failure" in punishing the guilty even after being in power for four years. "The special session will be yet another theatrical presentation by the AAP, signifying nothing," he remarked, alleging that the AAP had used special sessions to "deflect public attention and wriggle through difficult situations" from time to time. Had the government's intentions been sincere, it would have held deliberations with stakeholders, scholars and legal experts before drafting a law that held not only emotional and sentimental significance for the Punjabi community but also long-term implications, the state Congress chief said....