Chandigarh, April 11 The Punjab Cabinet on Saturday approved stringent amendments to the sacrilege law to make punishments more severe, including life imprisonment.
In a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, the Cabinet cleared the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which proposes enhanced penalties, including life imprisonment, to deter incidents of "beadbi" (sacrilege) and uphold the sanctity of the Guru Granth Sahib.
According to an official statement, the move comes in response to past incidents of sacrilege that have hurt public sentiments and disturbed communal harmony.
It noted that existing provisions under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, do not provide sufficiently stringent punishment.
The amended sacrilege law will be introduced in the assembly on Monday.
In another decision, the Cabinet approved a solar street lighting program to be implemented in around 11,500 villages across the state, with nearly three lakh lights to be installed.
The scheme will be implemented on a voluntary basis with 70 per cent financial support from the state government and 30 per cent contribution from gram panchayats.
The program will be implemented by the Punjab Energy Development Agency and aims to improve safety, especially for women, while promoting environmental sustainability.
The Cabinet also gave its approval to host the Men's Asian Champions Trophy 2026 in Punjab for the first time. The event will be organized in collaboration with Hockey India.
Officials said the tournament will boost sports infrastructure and encourage youth participation in sports, while enhancing the state's profile at the national and international level.
The decisions reflect the government's focus on religious respect, rural development and promotion of sports in the state, the statement added.