Chandigarh, April 21: Punjab has officially notified the Jaagat Jot Guru Granth Sahib Satkar Bill, 2026, marking a significant shift in the state’s legal approach to sacrilege. Addressing the media in Chandigarh, AAP Punjab State General Secretary Baltej Pannu stated that the law is now in full force, providing a decisive response to issues that had remained unresolved for decades.
The bill progressed from its introduction on April 13 to receiving the Governor’s signature on April 17, with the final notification issued by April 20. Pannu asserted that this timeline demonstrates a record-breaking level of political will compared to past regimes that he claimed “baked their political rotis” on the sensitivity of the subject without delivering results.
“The law has not only been passed but has come into full force, and those very people have gone quiet,” Baltej Pannu declared.
The AAP leader criticized the previous handling of investigations, mentioning that reports from various commissions were historically ignored or trivialized. He noted that the new provisions are designed to be airtight, moving beyond what he described as the “rhetoric” of the Akali-BJP and Congress eras.
Pannu also questioned why SGPC President Harjinder Singh Dhami has not issued a statement regarding the law. He asserted that the current administration’s focus remains on protecting the dignity of the Guru Granth Sahib, whereas the opposition’s silence suggests they are more concerned with protecting personal political interests.
“Sukhbir Singh Badal’s silence shows that he is more focused on protecting personal and political interests rather than standing firmly for Punjab,” Pannu maintained.
