Punjab’s anti-sacrilege bill goes against secular polity, say former bureaucrats

The anti-sacrilege bill introduced in the Punjab Assembly in July poses a grave threat to constitutional values and “goes against the very grain of a secular polity”, said a group of 79 former bureaucrats on Wednesday.

In a letter, the Constitutional Conduct Group also asked the Chairperson of the Select Committee of the Punjab Legislative Assembly to recommend that the 2025 Punjab Prevention of Offences Against Holy Scripture(s) Bill be withdrawn.

Introduced by the Aam Aadmi Party government on July 15, the bill proposes life imprisonment and a fine of up to Rs 10 lakh for acts of sacrilege against religious scriptures, including the Guru Granth Sahib, the Bhagavad Gita, the Bible and the Quran.

The bill has been referred to a select committee of legislators for consultation with stakeholders.

The former bureaucrats, in a letter to the chairperson of the select committee, argued that the bill is a regressive move that undermines freedom of expression.

“Instead of circumscribing the role of religion in matters of the state, the proposed Act will only enlarge it,” they warned. “It will also reinforce sectarian tendencies and strengthen the hands of religious extremists of various hues.”

The signatories pointed out that previous attempts by the Punjab government in 2015 and 2018 to introduce similar laws...

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