Akal Takht acting jathedar Giani Kuldip Singh Gargaj on Thursday rejected the Punjab government’s response to objections regarding the newly enacted anti-sacrilege law, and said a committee has been formed by the highest temporal seat of Sikhs for further discussions with the Aam Aadmi Party dispensation to reach a consensus on the matter.
Event Context
His remarks came a day after AAP MLA Inderbir Singh Nijjar submitted the state government’s 26-page response to the Takht decree on the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Act, 2026.
“It is clear that the AAP government is not ready to make further amendments to the law in accordance with the sentiments conveyed by the Akal Takht,” said the jathedar, while addressing mediapersons here.
The legislation at the heart of the crisis was passed by the state assembly on April 13, 2026. Aimed at curbing desecrations, the law introduces stringent punishments, including life imprisonment and fines up to ₹20 lakh for acts of sacrilege involving Guru Granth Sahib. Despite its intent, the law triggered sharp backlash from the clergy and various Panthic bodies over several “objectionable clauses drafted without consultations”.
Team Analysis
On June 29, the five Sikh high priests summoned Sikh legislators across all political parties to the Takht, culminating in a one-month ultimatum to amend the Act. A revised list of specific objections was officially sent to the government on July 4. In the fresh representation, Giani Gargaj had flagged objections to certain provisions of the Act relating to the SGPC, Sikh Rehat Maryada, terminology, and ‘custodian’ definitions. He also sought an amendment to the Act to include a specific provision for legal protection of sewadars and devotees in cases of self-defence during incidents of sacrilege.
The Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government, on its part, has convened its monsoon assembly session from August 3 to August 10, where it intends to table amendments to the Act.
Gargaj directed all Sikh MLAs and the cabinet ministers to ensure that during the assembly session beginning on August 3, no discussion takes place on the anti-sacrilege law until consensus is reached with Akal Takht Sahib and the SGPC on the issue, and not to give consent to any further amendments to the law.
He said the spirit of the consensus reached by the Sikh MLAs and the cabinet ministers at Akal Takht Sahib on June 29 has not been reflected in the government’s response. “The government continues to adopt a rigid stance on the key objections,” said the jathedar. He said the response sent by the government is unsatisfactory and, therefore, cannot be accepted.
Giani Gargaj said that if the government wishes to continue discussions with the Akal Takht regarding the law, a committee comprising Justice Rupinder Singh Sodhi (retd), Justice Mohinder Mohan Singh Bedi (retd), senior advocate Puran Singh Hundal, Sikh scholar Dr Kehar Singh Patiala, Prof Jagmohan Singh Ludhiana, and SGPC Chandigarh sub-office secretary Lakhvir Singh as coordinator has been formulated.
He said the government should establish contact with the committee and reach a consensus on the law, and this task should be completed within two months.
Giani Gargaj said there had been consensus on removing both “custodian-related” clauses, but the government’s response contains no such provision. Instead, it only defends these clauses by referring to the rules being framed under the Act.
He said determining the “custodian” is not within the jurisdiction of the government. The government’s authority extends only to prescribing punishment for those guilty of sacrilege, and there is no objection even if such punishment is extremely stringent. He made it clear that both custodian-related clauses must be removed because interference in religious matters will not be tolerated.
He also said that the government also has no authority to decide on assigning unique numbers to the holy ‘birs’ (scriptures) of Guru Granth Sahib. Similarly, the Punjab government cannot decide how the record of the ‘birs’ should be uploaded to a website or how a central register should be maintained, because these matters are part of the SGPC’s internal administrative system, for which appropriate arrangements have already been made by the institution.
Later, SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami also dubbed the state government’s response to the Takht’s objections “highly disappointing.” He said that instead of sending a revised draft of the Act to the Akal Takht, the government merely submitted its own clarification, which demonstrates that “it did not treat the Takht’s directives with the seriousness they deserved”.
“The state government’s conduct clearly reflects an anti-Sikh mindset. Ignoring the unanimously issued directives raises serious questions about the government’s respect for religious institutions”, he said in a statement.
