Chandigarh: All 78 Sikh MLAs of Punjab’s 117-seat Assembly — including Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, nine cabinet ministers and Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwa — on Monday presented themselves before the Akal Takht over objections to an amended anti‑sacrilege law that, the Takht says, was enacted without consulting it or other panthic bodies.
The Jagat Jyot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Act, 2026, which revises the 2008 Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar Act and increases penalties, was approved by the Assembly on April 13 during a special one-day session and subsequently received the governor’s assent.
Ahead of meeting the legislators, Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj told reporters that the amendment — though passed unanimously — was pushed through without involving the Akal Takht and Sikh institutions, IANS reported. He accused the state government led by the Aam Aadmi Party of coming “in between the Guru and the Sikh” by proceeding without panthic consultation.
SAD leader Bikram Majithia criticised the Mann government’s handling of the anti‑sacrilege legislation, noting that “When this Act was being formulated, the Jathedar Sahab of Sri Akal Takht Sahib had issued explicit directives and an edict.” He stressed that any bill or law touching the Guru Granth Sahib must be prepared only after securing the consent of Sri Akal Takht Sahib, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, other Sikh organisations and “the entire Guru Nanak Naam Leva Sangat (the global Sikh congregation), so that nothing is left out.”
The amendments, introduced by Bhagwant Mann in the Vidhan Sabha on April 13, sought to strengthen the original 2008 act by prescribing tougher punishments intended to deter sacrilege and protect the sanctity of the Guru Granth Sahib.
