Four months before Punjab polls, Bhagwant Mann’s ‘open’ take on anti-sacrilege law

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann held a meeting on Sunday with a seven-member committee to discuss amendments to the anti-sacrilege law, which was passed by the Punjab Assembly on April 13. Mann emphasized that the provisions of life imprisonment and hefty fines for sacrilege could not be weakened, but the government was open to examining concerns over other clauses.

The core objective of the law is to provide the strongest possible legal protection to the sanctity of Sri Guru Granth Sahib while addressing legitimate legal and constitutional concerns. The meeting aimed to ensure that the law's spirit and core objective were not compromised during discussions with the panel appointed by the Akal Takht.