Chandigarh: The House passed a crucial bill aimed at curbing incidents of sacrilege during the session of the Punjab Legislative Assembly. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann introduced the bill in the Assembly, following which a debate on the matter ensued. At the very outset, the chief minister appealed to the opposition not to stage a walkout but to instead participate in the discussion regarding this significant issue. Following the introduction of the bill, deliberations on it commenced within the House.
Responding to the debate on the sacrilege bill in the House, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann stated that, until now, in 80 to 90 percent of such cases, the prosecution’s case was often weakened by labeling the accused as mentally ill. He clarified that the new bill incorporates specific provisions addressing this aspect, ensuring that the mental state of the accused in such cases will be subject to proper examination.
The chief minister further explained that under this legislation, “life imprisonment” would not merely imply a prison term of a few years but would entail the convict remaining incarcerated for the remainder of their natural life. He added that the bill would also provide a clear definition of a “custodian” to ensure that accountability can be effectively established.
He also noted that since the legislation is a state-level bill, it does not require referral to the president of India. Furthermore, he emphasized that securing the governor’s assent for this bill is a joint responsibility of both the government and the opposition and that all political parties must make a concerted effort to achieve this goal.
The Chief Minister also gave an assurance to the House that there would be no need to repeatedly reintroduce this bill in the Assembly, as it would now be finalized.
Pratap Singh Bajwa stated that while his party supports the bill, they demand that the report of the committee constituted to investigate these matters be presented before the House first. He argued that since the committee has held consultations with people from various sections of society, its complete report ought to be made public.
Responding to this, the Speaker stated that the committee is currently carrying out its mandate and will present its report to the House shortly. Additionally, the speaker clarified that the same committee would also be responsible for conducting the investigation into the Nakodar incident.
