UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Anti-sacrilege Bill has now become law with assent of Governor, says Punjab CM
Q1. Under Article 200 of the Constitution, when a Governor 'reserves' a State Bill, it means that the Governor —
- A. refers the Bill to the President of India for consideration
- B. returns the Bill to the State Legislature for reconsideration
- C. signs the Bill, bringing it into force with immediate effect
- D. refers the Bill to the Supreme Court for its advisory opinion
Q2. When a Bill (other than a Money Bill) passed by the State Legislature is presented to the Governor, how many distinct courses of action does Article 200 make constitutionally available to him?
- A. Two
- B. Three
- C. Four
- D. Five
Q3. The original Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar Act, 2008 — the parent statute amended in 2026 — was principally concerned with which one of the following?
- A. Regulating the printing and publishing of copies (saroops) of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib
- B. Prescribing life imprisonment for acts of sacrilege of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib
- C. Constituting the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee as a statutory body
- D. Establishing special fast-track courts to try offences against religious sentiments
Q4. In prescribing punishment for sacrilege, the penal provision associated with the 2026 amendment extends its protection to how many religious scriptures?
- A. One
- B. Two
- C. Three
- D. Four
Q5. Punjab's earlier 2016 effort to make sacrilege punishable with life imprisonment sought to achieve this by inserting which of the following provisions?
- A. Section 295AA of the Indian Penal Code, 1860
- B. Section 295A of the Indian Penal Code, 1860
- C. Section 153A of the Indian Penal Code, 1860
- D. Section 505 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860
Q6. In Sikhism, the Akal Takht at Amritsar is regarded as the foremost among how many Takhts (seats of temporal authority)?
- A. Three
- B. Four
- C. Five
- D. Seven
Q7. The Akal Takht at Amritsar, the supreme seat of temporal authority in Sikhism, was established by which of the following Sikh Gurus?
- A. Guru Hargobind
- B. Guru Arjan
- C. Guru Ram Das
- D. Guru Gobind Singh
Q8. Consider the following statements regarding the 2015 Punjab sacrilege episode and its aftermath:
1. The incident of torn pages of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib being found at Bargari occurred in Faridkot district.
2. The Behbal Kalan police firing, in which two persons were killed, took place during protests over the sacrilege incidents.
3. The Justice Ranjit Singh Commission, set up in 2017, was constituted to probe these sacrilege and firing incidents.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- The incident of torn pages of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib being found at Bargari occurred in Faridkot district.
- The Behbal Kalan police firing, in which two persons were killed, took place during protests over the sacrilege incidents.
- The Justice Ranjit Singh Commission, set up in 2017, was constituted to probe these sacrilege and firing incidents.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 2 and 3 only
- C. 1 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q9. In the Behbal Kalan police firing of October 2015, connected to the Bargari sacrilege protests, how many persons were killed?
- A. One
- B. Two
- C. Four
- D. Six
Q10. As a law enacted within the State's own legislative competence, the investigation and enforcement of offences under the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Act, 2026 vests primarily in which of the following?
- A. The Punjab Police under the State Government
- B. The Central Bureau of Investigation
- C. The National Investigation Agency
- D. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee
Q11. The anti-sacrilege Bill passed by the Punjab Vidhan Sabha in April 2026 became law upon assent being granted by which of the following authorities?
- A. The Governor of Punjab
- B. The President of India in every case of a State criminal-law Bill
- C. The Speaker of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha
- D. The Union Ministry of Home Affairs