Overview

• The 15-member select committee held its inaugural meeting in Chandigarh with 13 legislators present, including Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan, to begin detailed scrutiny of the bill
• Members agreed to launch email and WhatsApp channels for gathering public feedback, with precise submission procedures to be finalised at the next Tuesday session
• The panel will review anti-sacrilege and blasphemy statutes from other states and countries and seek opinions from religious organisations, experts and intellectuals
• Chairman Inderbir Singh Nijjar indicated the committee may meet weekly or more often and could form sub-committees for specialised areas of the bill
• The panel is tasked with submitting its recommendations on provisions—ranging from 10 years to life imprisonment and fines up to ₹10 lakh—within six months