Chandigarh, Apr 11 (PTI) The Punjab Cabinet on Saturday approved stringent amendments to the law on sacrilege to make punishments more severe, including life imprisonment.
The Cabinet in a meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, cleared the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which proposes enhanced penalties, including life imprisonment, to deter incidents of ‘beadbi’ (sacrilege) and uphold the sanctity of Guru Granth Sahib.
According to an official statement, the move comes in view of past incidents of sacrilege that have hurt public sentiments and disturbed communal harmony.
It noted that existing provisions under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 do not provide sufficiently stringent punishment.
The amended sacrilege law will be introduced in the assembly on Monday.
In another decision, the Cabinet approved a solar street lighting programme to be implemented in around 11,500 villages across the state, with nearly three lakh lights to be installed.
The scheme will be carried out on an opt-in basis with 70 per cent financial support from the state government and 30 per cent contribution from gram panchayats.
The programme will be implemented by the Punjab Energy Development Agency and aims to improve safety, especially for women, while promoting environmental sustainability.
The Cabinet also gave its nod to host the Men’s Asian Champions Trophy 2026 in Punjab for the first time. The event will be organised in collaboration with Hockey India.
Officials said the tournament will boost sports infrastructure and encourage youth participation in sports, while enhancing the state’s profile at the national and international level.
The decisions reflect the government’s focus on religious respect, rural development and promotion of sports in the state, the statement added. PTI VSD ZMN ZMN
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