Akal Takht asks Punjab Govt. to revise the Anti-Sacrilege Act, to remove clauses repugnant to Sikh sentiments

Punjab Legislative Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan addresses the media after AAP MLAs addressed the Akal Takht Sahib regarding the Jagat Jyot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Bill, 2026 at the Sri Akal Takht Sahib Secretariat in Amritsar 2202, Monday, June 26, Punjab. Photo credit: PTI

The Akal Takht, the highest Sikh secular authority, has asked the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab to once again amend the recently passed anti-sacrilege law in line with Sikh sentiments and remove objectionable clauses. The government was given a month to comply.

In a meeting with invited Sikh state cabinet ministers and Sikh MLAs in Amritsar on Monday (June 29, 2026), the Akal Takht said the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Bill, 2026 “was passed by the government without the opinion and consent of the Parhbanda Shikha Shikha Akal Takwar Committee (SGPC) and the Guru Khalsa Panth.”

The legislation, passed unanimously in the State Assembly on April 13, was aimed at providing harsher punishment for sacrilege against the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy scripture of Sikhism. However, Sikh clerics objected to some provisions of the law. The Akal Takht therefore called a meeting.

After discussions on Monday (June 29), Jathedar Giani Kuldip Singh Gargajj, who heads the Akal Takht, said the state government should re-amend the legislation in line with Sikh sentiments and remove objectionable clauses within a month. He also asked the government to include a provision in the law that if a follower of an anti-Sikh Dera (sect) or a person associated with such a dera intentionally commits sacrilege, then a case should also be filed against the head of the concerned Dera, according to a statement from the Akal Takht Secretariat.

‘MLAs didn’t read the draft’

Mr. Gargajj said all the Ministers and MLAs present in the meeting agreed to make further changes in the Act in accordance with Sikh sentiments. He also said that most of the MLAs admitted that they did not read the draft amendment before passing it, which shows that the law was passed in haste by the government without understanding its gravity and sensitivity. He said 87 MLAs, including ministers, were present in the meeting.

An amendment to the law proposed harsher penalties, including life imprisonment, for sacrilege. It was enacted to amend the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar Act, enacted by the Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party government in 2008. The 2008 Act aimed to ensure due respect and care for the Guru Granth Sahib, revered as the eternal “living” Guru of Sikhism.

Speaking to the media after the meeting, Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said, “Jathedar has proposed certain amendments which will be forwarded through Speaker Punjab. Once received, a decision will be taken within a month after due deliberation.”

Meanwhile, the opposition parties took on the AAP government. Punjab’s leader of the opposition, Partap Singh Bajwa of the Congress, said the way Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal handled the legislation reflected their disregard for Sikh principles, traditions and institutions. He alleged that instead of building a broad panthic (community) consensus on such a sensitive issue, the government decided to rush legislation through the assembly without meaningful consultation with the Sikh community.

Senior Shiromani Akali Dal leader and former Punjab minister Daljit Cheema said, “It was disappointing to see that many MLAs did not even have proper information about the newly enacted law when they passed it and many of them did not even read it. The misleading interpretation of the word ‘administrator’ by the chief minister was also exposed. It would be good if the Punjab law and the restrictive government were left to withdraw the blame. maryada (code of conduct) Sri Akal Takht Sahib.”

Published – 29 Jun 2026 22:16 IST