CHANDIGARH: The Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of Sikhs, on Monday gave the Punjab government one month to amend the Jaagat Jyot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Act, 2026, and submitted a detailed list of objections to the legislation.
Sikh MLAs and Cabinet ministers from the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), along with legislators from the Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), appeared before the five Sikh high priests to explain the passage of the law without consultation with the Akal Takht and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC).
After a two-hour hearing, the legislators assured the Akal Takht that the objections would be addressed and suitable amendments would be made within the stipulated period.
Acting Akal Takht Jathedar Kuldeep Singh Gargaj said legislation related to sacrilege must reflect the sentiments of the Sikh community and asked the government to amend the law within a month. He also handed over a list of objections to the legislators, including replacing the word "saroop" with "bir" where appropriate.
Gargaj said the Punjab Assembly had no authority to decide Sikh religious terminology and maintained that such matters fall within the jurisdiction of the Akal Takht. He, however, said he had no objection to punishing those guilty of desecrating the Guru Granth Sahib.
The proceedings took a dramatic turn when Gargaj asked AAP MLAs Jagroop Singh and Kulwant Singh whether they had read the Bill before voting for it. Both admitted they had not, with Jagroop Singh saying the draft had not been provided in time.
Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan, Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian, Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa, Congress MLAs Sukhpal Singh Khaira, Pargat Singh and Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Independent MLA Rana Inder Partap Singh, SAD MLA Ganieve Kaur Majithia and rebel SAD MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali also submitted written clarifications.
All the legislators present raised their hands in agreement as the clergy chanted, ``Jo bole so nihal, sat sri akal.”
The Akal Takht also questioned AAP legislators over the handling of the 2015 Bargari sacrilege case and the 2017 Maur bomb blast case.
Among its key objections, the Akal Takht opposed replacing the terms "bir" and "birs" with "saroop" and "saroops", objected to the definition of "custodian", opposed criminal penalties for violations of religious code of conduct, and called for respectful terminology in the Act. It also objected to the requirement for maintaining a central register and assigning unique identification numbers to copies of the Guru Granth Sahib, besides raising concerns over uploading their details online.
The Jaagat Jyot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Act, 2026, passed by the Punjab Assembly on April 13, provides for life imprisonment and a fine of Rs 5 lakh to Rs 20 lakh for conspiracy to commit sacrilege of the Guru Granth Sahib with the intent to disturb communal harmony. Other offences under the Act carry imprisonment of up to five years and a fine of up to Rs 10 lakh.
