Chandigarh, April 22: The constitutional validity of Punjab’s latest anti-sacrilege law is under scrutiny following a petition filed before the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The “Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Act, 2026,” which prescribes stringent penalties such as life imprisonment, faces claims that it bypasses essential federal protocols. Petitioner Simranjeet Singh maintained that the law is inconsistent with existing central criminal statutes and therefore required the signature of the President of India rather than just the Governor.
The legal challenge also focused on the specific nature of the law’s protection. The petition affirmed that the legislation’s focus on a single religious scripture undermines the secular fabric of the Constitution. Singh stated that the Act provides a specialized framework that does not extend to other faiths, which he declared is a violation of Article 14’s mandate for equality. The plea further questioned Section 5(3) of the Act, which mandates life terms for conspiracy to disrupt peace through sacrilege.
“Equating such an offence with punishment for murder is disproportionate,” the plea affirmed. Singh stated that the definition of the crime under Section 2(bb) includes “words, either spoken or written, or by signs,” which he declared fails the standard of reasonable restriction. The petitioner maintained that these provisions are “manifestly arbitrary” and urged the court to intervene before the law is fully implemented across the state.
