The Punjab government’s newly enacted anti‑sacrilege legislation should be adopted by states across India as well as overseas, appealed Baldev Singh Wadala, former Hazuri Ragi of the Golden Temple and chief of the Sikh Sadbhawna Dal.Wadala, whose organisation assisted the state government through advocate Paramjeet Singh in drafting the amendment to the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar Act, 2008, welcomed the legislation but expressed concern that its jurisdiction remains confined to Punjab.On April 19, Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria granted assent to the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which had been passed unanimously by the Vidhan Sabha on April 13, thereby bringing into force one of the country’s strictest anti‑sacrilege laws.As per data of the Punjab Police, 597 sacrilege cases of holy scriptures of Sikhs and other faiths have been reported in the state in the past 11 years. While 544 accused were arrested, there has been conviction in only 44 cases.Earlier attempts to address sacrilege incidents through legislation were made in 2016 during the SAD‑BJP regime and again in 2018 under the Congress government; however, both initiatives failed to materialise and remained ineffective.To avoid any conflict with provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, the AAP‑led Punjab government opted to amend the existing state‑specific statute, framing it as a stringent regulatory law governing the sanctity, handling, protection, publication, distribution and custodial responsibility of Sri Guru Granth Sahib.While welcoming the government’s initiative, Wadala said similar intent had been expressed by Sikh communities in other states and abroad. Acknowledging legal limitations, he said, “We appeal to other states to follow suit, as incidents of sacrilege have occurred not only in Punjab, but elsewhere in India and even overseas. Sikh Sadbhawna Dal has branches in various states and abroad. Recently, we have received requests from the Haryana Sikh community to pursue a similar matter with the Haryana government for adoption of identical legislation.”Advocate Paramjeet Singh said the Mann government deserved credit for enacting the law where — for the first time since the sacrilege controversies of 2015, a dedicated state law prescribing stringent punishment — including life imprisonment and heavy fines — for acts of desecration has been brought into force, while also laying down a comprehensive framework to ensure the sanctity and custodial care of Sri Guru Granth Sahib.He viewed that although custodial rights remain vested with the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) under the original 2008 Act, the Sikh body did not play a direct role in the enactment of the amended law, reportedly due to a lack of political will on both sides.