The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Wednesday announced that it will first examine the maintainability of a public interest litigation (PIL) and the credibility of the petitioner before considering the constitutional validity of Punjab's Jagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Act, 2026, the anti-sacrilege law.
The PIL came up for hearing before a division bench comprising Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sanjiv Berry. Opposing the plea, Punjab Advocate General Maninderjit Singh Bedi alleged that petitioner Simranjeet Singh had concealed material facts. He described the petitioner as a 'habitual complainant', submitting that FIRs were previously registered against him. He further informed the court that the Bar Council had suspended the petitioner's licence over concerns regarding the genuineness of his LLB degree.
Taking note of these submissions, the court directed the Advocate General to share all relevant material with the petitioner, allowing him to respond to the allegations in the next hearing scheduled for April 29.
The petitioner challenged the Act, which received the Governor's assent on April 17, arguing that it introduces stringent criminal penalties, including life imprisonment under Section 5(3), a subject falling within the concurrent list. He contended that since these provisions are inconsistent with the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the law required Presidential assent under Article 254(2) of the Constitution. The plea further argues that the Act creates a high-penalty framework exclusively for the 'saroops' of the Guru Granth Sahib, thereby violating the principle of equality before law and undermining secularism, a basic feature of the Constitution.
