Govt set to amend Bill on desecration

Rajmeet Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 20

The Punjab government is all set to amend the legislation that proposes life term for sacrilege.

A draft Bill to amend The Indian Penal Code (Punjab Amendment) Bill 2016 and the Code of Criminal Procedure (Punjab Amendment) Bill 2016, enabling changes to Section 295 AA in the Indian Penal Code (IPC)for desecrating the religious scriptures, is being tabled in Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting. It would be tabled in the coming session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha before being sent to the Centre for approval and implementation. The earlier Bill passed by the state Assembly in March 2016 had been objected to by the Centre on the ground that it should include punishment for sacrilege of all religions and not exclusively for the Sikh religion.

The tabling of the Bill gains significance in the wake of arrests of sacrilege suspects and the Justice Ranjit Singh (retd) Commission report on sacrilege incidents at Burj Jawahar Singh Wala, Bargari, Gurusar and Mallke villages, as well as the subsequent firing incidents at Behbal Kalan and Kotkapura in Faridkot district being tabled in the coming Vidhan Sabha session.

Besides, the state Cabinet is expected to discuss the drafts of at least six Bills that are being tabled in the forthcoming session of the Vidhan Sabha.

Some of the main Bills are: Amendment to the State Legislature (Prevention of Disqualification) Act, 1952; Ordinance to appoint legislative secretaries; and Ordinance on promotion in reservation.