Punjab's courts have tried 438 sacrilege cases since 2015, resulting in only 43 convictions, a 9% conviction rate. This data has become the primary justification for the government's new sacrilege law, which has been rejected by the Sikh clergy.
The Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Act, 2026, has been met with resistance from the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and Akal Takht, the supreme temporal seat of the Sikhs.
The new law has been criticized for mandating the SGPC to maintain a government-monitored digital registry of all saroops (printed copies) of Guru Granth Sahib.
Police data shows that 51 cases were dropped due to lack of evidence, while 118 cases involved unidentified suspects. In the courtroom, 67 cases ended in outright acquittals.
Even when guilt was established, penalties were often nominal, with monetary fines ranging from ₹300 to ₹7,000 imposed in eight instances.
A significant portion of incidents appears to stem from social or psychological crises rather than organised malice, with 49 cases involving mentally unstable individuals and 16 cases involving individuals under the influence of drugs.
