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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. 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.
This 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. It amended the ‘Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar Act of 2008’, which was enacted during the Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party tenure in 2008, to ensure proper respect and care of the ‘Guru Granth Sahib’, revered as the eternal “living” Guru of Sikhism.
What’s in the Act?
The State government, in its objective behind the amendment, noted that in the recent past, there have been attempts to disturb peace and communal harmony in Punjab by committing sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib. The government is determined not to allow such incidents and to ensure deterrent action against all those who commit such sacrilege. The amendments aims to achieve this objective by providing punishment of life imprisonment for such acts of sacrilege.
The amended Act says any person who commits an offence of sacrilege of the Saroop(s) [physical copies] of Guru Granth Sahib shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which shall not be less than seven years but which may extend to twenty years and shall also be liable to a fine which shall not be less than two lakh rupees but which may extend to ten lakh rupees. Also, any person who in criminal conspiracy commits an offence of sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib with the intention to disrupt peace or communal harmony shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which shall not be less than ten years but which may extend to imprisonment for life, and shall also be liable to fine which shall not be less than five lakh rupees but which may extend to twenty-five lakh rupees.
The sacrilege offences under this law will be cognisable, non-bailable and non-compoundable, besides it would be holding even those aiding sacrilege equally accountable. Also, it includes a clause that holds the guardians of an offender legally accountable for acts of sacrilege. The definition of ‘custodian’ has been introduced, making each custodian fully responsible for the safe custody, protection, and prevention of misuse or loss of the Guru Granth Sahib.
What are Akal Takht’s concerns?
Akal Takht has been annoyed over the Punjab government bringing the amendments to the law without the opinion and consent of the Akal Takht, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and Sikh community.
Referring to the June 29 meeting, Mr. Gargajj noted that “During the discussions, most of the MLAs have honestly admitted that they did not read the draft of the legal amendment before passing it, which shows that this law has been passed by the Punjab government in a hurry without understanding its seriousness and sensitivity.” This, he stated, was a very serious negligence on the part of the Punjab government in the matter of Guru Granth Sahib and sacrilege.
The government sent the draft law to the MLAs only a day in advance and no copy of the original law of 2008 was provided to them. Some MLAs pointed out that they had told the government in the State Assembly that it was necessary to discuss this legal amendment with the SGPC, Sikh institutions, scholars and legal experts before passing it. Mr. Gargajj added that through its legal amendment, the government has interfered in the Sikh maryada (code of conduct), the jurisdiction of Akal Takht and the internal functioning of the SGPC. Among other objections, Mr. Gargajj had earlier stated that the State Assembly had no authority to decide matters of Sikh terminology, pointing out the replacement of the word ‘Bir’ with ‘Saroop’ to describe a copy of the scripture in the Act.
What does Akal Takht want?
Akal Takht has given the Punjab government one month’s time to amend the legal amendment again according to Sikh sentiments and eliminate the objectionable clauses. He also asked the government to include this provision in the law that if a follower of an anti-Sikh Dera (Sect) or a person associated with such a Dera deliberately commits sacrilege, then a case should also be registered against the Head of the concerned Dera. Akal Takht also asked the Punjab government to suspend the law until it is amended in accordance with Sikh sentiments and in agreement with Akal Takht.
Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, who was also a part of the meeting, stated that Akal Takht Sahib has granted the Punjab government one month’s time to examine the proposed amendments and suggestions. The proposed amendments and recommendations would be formally communicated to all through the Speaker of the Punjab Assembly. “Once the proposed amendments are received from Sri Akal Takht Sahib, the government will examine them in detail and, after due deliberation, take an appropriate decision,” he noted.
Published – June 30, 2026 01:22 pm IST
