Anti-sacrilege law: All 78 Sikh legislators, including Punjab CM Mann, appear before Akal Takht

Amritsar: All 78 Sikh legislators in the House of 117, including nine Cabinet ministers led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwa, on Monday appeared before the Akal Takht to deliberate on and present their views on the amended anti-sacrilege law that was implemented without properly consulting with it and other ‘panthic’ bodies, including the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC).

The Jagat Jyot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Act, 2026, was passed by the Assembly on April 13, and the Governor’s assent came within a week.

Ahead of meeting the lawmakers, Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj told the media that after bypassing the Akal Takht and Sikh institutions, the Jagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Sataar Act, enacted in 2008, was amended and unanimously passed.

“The government has come in between the Guru and the Sikh by passing this Act,” he said.

Slamming the government over an anti-sacrilege law, Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Majithia said, “When this Act was being formulated, the Jathedar Sahab of Sri Akal Takht Sahib had issued explicit directives and an edict.

He ordered that if any Bill or Act regarding the matter of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Maharaj is to be created, “it must be drafted only after obtaining the approval of Sri Akal Takht Sahib, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, other Sikh institutions, and the entire Guru Nanak Naam Leva Sangat (the global Sikh congregation), so that nothing is left out.”

Earlier, the Jathedar of Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of the Sikhs located on the premises of the Golden Temple (Harmandir Sahib) in Amritsar, June 15, directed all Sikh lawmakers and the Cabinet led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, comprising nine Sikh ministers, to appear before it on June 29 for hurting the sentiments and interests of the ‘panth’ (community) by passing the new sacrilege law.

However, five non-Sikh ministers — Sanjeev Arora, Aman Arora, Barinder Kumar Goyal, Lal Chand Kataruchak and Mahinder Bhagat — and other non-Sikh legislators have been asked to submit a written explanation over bringing the amended law.

The anti-sacrilege Bill, which proposed amendments to the original Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar Act-2008 to provide for stringent punishments, was tabled in the Vidhan Sabha by the Chief Minister during a special one-day session on April 13 to deter incidents of sacrilege and uphold the sanctity of the Guru Granth Sahib.

It was passed unanimously with support from members of the ruling AAP and opposition parties, including Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), after over three hours of deliberations.

Chief Minister Mann on Sunday reaffirmed that the Akal Takht is the supreme temporal authority of the Sikh community and said that all ministers, MLAs and the Speaker of the Vidhan Sabha will appear before it on Monday to present the government’s position with humility.

Declaring that every directive of the Akal Takht Sahib is paramount and will be obeyed in true letter and spirit, the Chief Minister said the government would also submit details of the fake video featuring his impersonator.

The Chief Minister pointed out that Opposition parties are trying to gain political mileage by giving the issue a religious colour, and asserted that politics and religion must never be mixed, while urging the Maharashtra government not to interfere in Sikh religious affairs.

Former state BJP president Sunil Jakhar has called upon the AAP legislators to listen to their inner conscience and present the truth before appearing at the Akal Takht.

In a social media post, Jakhar said the MLAs were at a defining moment where they must decide whether to stand with their Guru or with what he described as an “arrogant Chief Minister”. He expressed hope that they would not become “offenders against the Panth” by supporting someone who was declared ‘Panth Dokhi’ by the Akal Takhat Sahib.

IANS