Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Saturday declared that the state’s new anti-sacrilege law would ensure strict punishment for those involved in sacrilege cases, asserting that the long-used excuse of mental instability would no longer help offenders escape accountability.Speaking at a ‘samagam’ in Rakhra, Patiala, the Chief Minister said previous governments deliberately kept sacrilege laws weak due to a lack of political will. He also launched a blistering attack on the Congress, BJP, and Akali Dal for “looting public money” whenever they came to power.On the sidelines of his visit to Patiala, Mann stated that the AAP government is committed to protecting the honour of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. “Repeated incidents of sacrilege over the years had deeply hurt the sentiments of people across Punjab. Weak legal provisions under previous governments allowed the accused to exploit loopholes and escape punishment by claiming mental illness or on technical grounds. The excuse of mental instability will no longer work; sacrilege will invite strict punishment,” he said.The Chief Minister said the new anti-sacrilege law enacted by the AAP government has been designed to ensure strict punishment and eliminate every loophole previously misused by offenders. He said even custodians, guardians, or family members of the mentally unstable accused would now face legal action in sacrilege cases.“Those committing sacrilege used to escape by taking advantage of weak laws. Now, even their custodians will face life imprisonment,” he added, asserting that the law includes provisions for life imprisonment and heavy penalties to create a strong deterrent against such crimes.Targeting previous regimes, Mann said opposition parties lacked the political will to enact strong anti-sacrilege legislation because many among them had themselves protected those responsible for sacrilege incidents.“Governments of opposition parties kept sacrilege laws weak due to a lack of political will,” he remarked, adding that the people of Punjab had repeatedly demanded justice but earlier governments deliberately weakened the legal framework.Earlier, former SAD leader and former cabinet minister Surjit Singh Rakhra, who had joined SAD (Punar Surjit) faction, formally joined AAP on Saturday during a public gathering in the presence of CM Bhagwant Singh Mann.Welcoming Surjit Singh Rakhra and his brother Charanjit Singh Rakhra into the party, the CM stated, “Surjit Singh Rakhra had every opportunity to focus on expanding his business and personal interests, but he chose the path of serving the common people.”