CHANDIGARH: Ahead of the Punjab Assembly's monsoon session beginning on August 3, Akal Takht officiating Jathedar Giani Kuldip Singh Gargaj has written to Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhawan, Sikh Cabinet ministers and Sikh MLAs across party lines, urging them to ensure that any amendments to the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Act, 2026, are made only in accordance with the sentiments of the Sikh community and the directives of the Akal Takht.
The letters come after the Akal Takht rejected the Punjab government's response to its objections to the anti-sacrilege law and constituted a five-member committee of Sikh experts to facilitate dialogue with the government.
The Akal Takht urged legislators not to allow any amendments to the Act during the Assembly session until a consensus is reached with the Akal Takht and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC). It also asked Sikh legislators to persuade the government to amend the law in line with the concerns raised by the Akal Takht.
The letter accused the government of adopting an "irresponsible approach", alleging that it approached the Akal Takht only after the one-month consultation period had ended and failed to hold any meaningful dialogue. It also alleged that the government accepted only one of the objections raised by the Akal Takht while defending its stand on the remaining issues by referring to rules proposed under the Act.
The Akal Takht said the government's reply, submitted through the Deputy Commissioner, Amritsar, on July 29, was unsatisfactory and had been rejected. It alleged that the government was unwilling to incorporate most of its objections and had accepted only one suggestion.
In its letter to the Speaker, the Akal Takht said its concerns were not political but related to the possible misuse of the law in future. Referring to the alleged misuse of laws such as TADA and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), it said similar misuse of the anti-sacrilege law against Sikhs could not be ruled out and urged that the issue be viewed objectively, above political considerations.
On June 29, the five Sikh high priests summoned Sikh legislators from all political parties and gave the government a one-month deadline to amend the Act. A revised list of objections was submitted on July 4. In the representation, Gargaj raised objections to provisions relating to the SGPC, Sikh Rehat Maryada, terminology and the definition of "custodian". He also sought a provision to provide legal protection to sewadars and devotees acting in self-defence during incidents of sacrilege.