Punjab Police have filed the first case under the newly enacted anti-sacrilege law after torn pages of a religious scripture were recovered in a slum area of Sri Muktsar Sahib district.
The case was registered on Thursday night after torn pages of the Sukhmani Sahib Gutka were discovered in Kuchian Mohalla in Malout town of Sri Muktsar Sahib district, according to a police official.
Deputy Superintendent of Police Harjeet Singh on Saturday said an FIR had been registered against unidentified individuals in connection with the incident. Police officials said the recovered pages of the Gutka Sahib were respectfully handed over to a local gurdwara.
The FIR has been registered under Section 299 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which deals with deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings, along with Section 5 of the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Act, 2026.
Last month, the Punjab government notified the anti-sacrilege law, the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Act, 2026, introducing stricter punishment, including life imprisonment and a fine of up to Rs 25 lakh, for acts of sacrilege against the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh holy scripture.
The AAP government had convened a special session of the Vidhan Sabha on April 13 to amend the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar Act, 2008, aiming to curb incidents of ‘beadbi’ (sacrilege) and protect the sanctity of the Guru Granth Sahib.
Under the amended law, any person found guilty of sacrilege faces a minimum imprisonment of seven years, which may extend up to 20 years, along with a fine ranging from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 10 lakh.
The law further states that anyone involved in a criminal conspiracy to commit sacrilege with the intent to disturb peace or communal harmony will face a minimum sentence of 10 years, extendable to life imprisonment, along with a fine starting from Rs 5 lakh and going up to Rs 25 lakh.
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