Since 2015, Punjab courts have heard 438 cases involving sacrilege, only five of which led to the maximum three-year term for the crime, according to police data – with a 1.14% success rate offered by the state as justification for a controversial new sacrilege law that came into effect on April 20.
The Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in the state is locked in a tense standoff with the Sikh clerics over the new sacrilege law.
The data also shows that there were convictions in only 43 cases, a conviction rate of 9%.
These statements became the primary justification for controversial new government legislation. The Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Act, 2026. But the new law clashes with the Sikh clergy and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the highest Sikh religious body.
On May 8, the Akal Takht, the interim supreme headquarters of the Sikhs, formally rejected the 2026 Act, issuing a 15-day ultimatum to the Punjab government to remove its “objectionable provisions.”
The clerics, led by acting Jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj, accused the government of interfering in the religious affairs of Sikhs, citing a clause that legally mandates the SGPC to keep a digital record under government control of all saroops (hard copies) of the Guru Granth Sahib. SGPC is the only printer of scriptures sourced from gurdwaras and Sikh devotees in India and abroad.
While Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan appeared before the Takht to explain the government’s position on May 8, Prime Minister Bhagwant Mann was quick to deliver a challenging message. On May 9, the concluding day of the four-day Shukrana Yatra (Thanksgiving Journey) through Punjab after the sacrilege law was enacted, Mann asserted that the law — which imposes penalties of up to life imprisonment and fines of up to $25 lakh – final after approval by Governor Gulab Chand Kataria on April 18 and will not be reversed.
Sacrilege has been an emotive political issue in Punjab since the 2015 Bargari and Bhibal Kalan incidents that ousted the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal government and turned out to be its opponent in the 2017 Lok Sabha elections.
Legal dead ends, high acquittal rates
Police data shows that out of 438 cases, 51 were dropped due to lack of evidence, while 118 cases involved unknown suspects. In the courtroom, 67 cases ended in complete acquittal.
Even when guilt was proven, punishments were often symbolic. In eight cases, the courts imposed fines ranging from $300 l $7000. Under the old Section 295-A (intentional and malicious acts intended to excite religious sentiments) of the Indian Penal Code, the maximum punishment was three years; However, only 12 cases saw sentences exceeding one year.
Mental health worker
A large portion of incidents appear to stem from social or psychological crises rather than from organized malice. Investigations revealed that in 49 cases the defendants were found to be mentally ill. Another 16 cases involved individuals under the influence of drugs.
A senior official at the Bureau of Investigation, which keeps the data, said that although the legal outcomes were complex, police response times had improved. “The average time to trace a case has decreased from 750 days in 2015 to just 94 days in 2025,” he said.
