The Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab is set to introduce amendments to the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Sarkar Act, 2008, during a special Vidhan Sabha session on April 13, effectively creating a new anti-sacrilege framework. The move is aimed at addressing long-standing grievances surrounding the 2015 sacrilege incidents.This case pertains to the desecration of Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh holy book, at Bargari village of Faridkot district in October 2015. In the protests that erupted, two persons were killed in police firing at Behbal Kalan village. Several Sikh protesters were also injured in a similar incident at Kotkapura.Gaining lost groundPolitically, the amendments serve two purposes. These seek to silence critics within the radical Sikh vote-bank who have accused the AAP of failing to deliver justice for the decade-old incidents. The move also aims to check the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) just as the party shows signs of a political resurgence.If these amendments pass legal muster, the AAP hopes to garner support of voters currently aligned with the splinter radical factions, particularly in the Majha region, such as jailed Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh’s Waris Punjab De and the breakaway SAD Punar Surjit.Elections to the Punjab Vidhan Sabha are scheduled in a few months, and the ruling AAP wants to project itself as having fulfilled all promises made before assuming power in the state in 2022.Why this approachSince nothing substantial has been achieved in bringing the culprits of the sacrilege incidents and the Kotkapura firing case to book — a promise made by the ruling party before the 2017 polls and then again in 2022 — the AAP has taken recourse to bringing amendments to an existing state law.This, according to Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, will save the government the trouble of seeking Presidential assent, which was denied when both the SAD-BJP and the Congress governments framed anti-sacrilege draft legislations.Ashok Aggarwal, who as Advocate General of Punjab in 2016 had framed the Indian Penal Code (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2016, and the Code of Criminal Procedure (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2016 — which sought to insert Section 295-AA in the IPC to provide life imprisonment for the sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib — feels that the new law could also meet the fate of the previous efforts because of the repugnancy clause under Article 254.“The effect of this new law will have to be seen vis-a-vis the existing provisions for punishment under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and thereafter it will have to be seen if it requires Presidential assent,” he said.Fresh provisions and hurdlesThe government, it is learnt, wants to add provisions increasing penalties for sacrilegious acts towards Guru Granth Sahib — punishments ranging from 10 years to life imprisonment, confiscating properties of those found guilty and also monitoring and punishing sacrilegious acts committed on digital platforms.The Chief Minister has been reiterating that since his government is proposing amending a state Act, it will be implemented with immediate effect.AAP’s (now suspended) Amritsar North MLA Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, who while in the IPS had headed the special investigating team probing the Behbal Kalan and Kotkapura firing incidents, is not impressed. He has often accused his own party of failing to deliver justice.Talking to The Tribune, he said even the SAD-BJP and Congress tried to bring amendments, but failed. “While people continue to wait for justice that AAP promised to the Sikhs, they are trying to divert public attention by amending laws or even by supporting the morcha organised at Samana. It only hardens my suspicion that there is some tacit understanding between the AAP leadership and the SAD leaders accused in the 2015 incidents,” he said.The AAP leadership, however, is dismissive of his stance. “The desecration of Guru Granth Sahib is not merely a criminal act, but a spiritual assault that strikes at the core of the Sikh community’s identity. Convening a special session is a moral and administrative necessity,” reasoned Baltej Pannu, Chief Spokesperson of AAP. He added that it offers a rare opportunity for a bipartisan approach to the problem.The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, too, has asked the Chief Minister to refrain from tinkering with the 2008 legislation.Attempts to bring in stringent lawsData made public by the Punjab Police revealed that 597 sacrilege cases have been reported in the state in the past 11 years since the 2015 incidents. While 544 accused were arrested, there has been conviction in only 44 cases.Since 2015, several attempts have been made to enact stringent laws.The SAD-BJP government passed the IPC (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2016, and CrPC (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2016. This sought to insert Section 295-AA in the IPC to provide life imprisonment for the sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib. The Bill was returned after the Union Ministry of Home Affairs argued that it was “anti-secular” because it provided special protection to only one religion.Thereafter, the Congress government’s IPC (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2018, and CrPC (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2018, extended the life imprisonment penalty to the sacrilege of four major scriptures: Guru Granth Sahib, Srimad Bhagavad Gita, the Holy Quran, and the Holy Bible. This, too, failed to receive Presidential assent after the IPC was replaced by BNS.Last year, the AAP government tabled the Punjab Prevention of Offences Against Holy Scripture(s) Bill, 2025. It proposed a minimum of 10 years to life imprisonment for desecrating holy scriptures and heavy fines. It was referred to a Select Committee of the Vidhan Sabha following demands from the Opposition. It still faces the hurdle of Presidential assent.