Why Punjab’s anti-sacrilege law has triggered a row with Akal Takht | Explained
Jathedar Giani Kuldip Singh Gargajj asked the government to amend the legal amendment again as per Sikh sentiments and eliminate the objectionable clauses within a month’s time. Sikh MLAs, Cabinet Ministers appear before Akal Takht over anti-sacrilege lawThis year, on April 13, the Punjab State Assembly unanimously passed The Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Bill, 2026, aimed at harsher punishment for sacrilege of the living Guru Sahib, including life imprisonment. The government is determined not to allow such incidents and to ensure deterrent action against all those who commit such sacrilege.
- ▪Jathedar Giani Kuldip Singh Gargajj asked the government to amend the legal amendment again as per Sikh sentiments and eliminate the objectionable clauses within a month’s time.
- ▪Sikh MLAs, Cabinet Ministers appear before Akal Takht over anti-sacrilege lawThis year, on April 13, the Punjab State Assembly unanimously passed The Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Bill, 2026, aimed at harsher punishmen
- ▪The government is determined not to allow such incidents and to ensure deterrent action against all those who commit such sacrilege.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
The story so far: On June 29, Akal Takht, the highest Sikh temporal seat asked the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab to revise the recent legal amendments made in the anti-sacrilege law – The ‘Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment), Act 2026’, which the Akal Takht asserted was passed by the State government without the opinion and consent of the Akal Takht, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), which oversees the administration of historical Gurdwaras and Khalsa Panth (Sikh community).A special meeting was convened in Punjab’s Amritsar by Akal Takht to discuss the issue of the anti-sacrilege law, in which Sikh Cabinet Ministers of the Punjab government and Sikh MLAs, including those from different political parties, participated.
…
Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at The Hindu — Top.
Discussion
0 commentsMore from The Hindu — Top
