Privilege motion against Mann over anti-sacrilege bills

Punjab Congress chief Pargat Singh on Thursday moved a privilege motion against Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, accusing him of misleading the House on the status of the 2018 anti-sacrilege bills and on documents sent by the Assembly to the President's office. Pargat, who is the Jalandhar Cantt MLA, submitted the notice to Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan through Vidhan Sabha Secretary Ram Lok Khatana on the opening day of the Punjab Assembly session.

Pargat alleged that the AAP government was backtracking on its commitment to amend the anti-sacrilege law and to hold a discussion on the issue in the Punjab Assembly, despite what he described as a consensus among all MLAs in the presence of the Jathedars of Sri Akal Takht Sahib. He said the government was avoiding the amendments and retreating from consultations with Sikh institutions.

What the privilege motion says about the anti-sacrilege bills

In the notice, Pargat Singh refers to proceedings on April 13, 2026, when the House was discussing the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Bill, 2026. He had asked the chief minister about the anti-sacrilege bills passed by the Vidhan Sabha in 2018, the Indian Penal Code (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2018 and the related Code of Criminal Procedure (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2018, and about Mann's meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the matter.

According to the notice, the chief minister responded by referring to the President's action on a 2016 bill rather than the 2018 anti-sacrilege bills, and presented that as the answer. Pargat contends this was contrary to the facts. The motion seeks a prima facie examination of the matter, a clarification from Bhagwant Mann, and a reference to the Committee of Privileges if the allegations are established. "The dignity of the Assembly demands truth and accountability," Pargat said.

Pargat also questioned the chief minister's account of the documents sent to the President's office, alleging that the House had been misled over the matter. He said the chief minister was expected to place accurate facts and complete information before the House, calling the Legislative Assembly a vital democratic institution where every member has the right to receive information based on facts and official documents.

The 2018 and 2016 anti-sacrilege bills

The notice sets out the differences between the two sets of anti-sacrilege bills. The 2016 bills, passed under the SAD-BJP government, proposed life imprisonment primarily for sacrilege of the Guru Granth Sahib and faced constitutional objections from the Centre over unequal treatment based on religion, violating the principles of equality and secularism.

The 2026 anti-sacrilege law and the Akal Takht's objections

The Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Bill, 2026 was passed unanimously by the assembly on April 13, the same day Pargat raised his question about the 2018 bills. The bill had been introduced at a special session of the Punjab assembly on April 13, according to the chief minister's earlier announcement. It provides for life imprisonment for acts of sacrilege against the Guru Granth Sahib, along with fines ranging from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 25 lakh. The Akal Takht raised objections to the law over Sikh terminology used in it, the question of who is the "custodian" of the religious text, and the proposal to assign unique numbers to the holy birs. The move escalates the Congress's confrontation with the AAP government over the handling of the anti-sacrilege bills.