CHANDIGARH: Four months ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections, the AAP-led state government has informed the Jathedar of Akal Takht, the highest temporal body of Sikhs, about the formation of a seven-member committee to hold consultations on proposed amendments to the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Act, 2026.
The move is set to pave the way for discussions between the government-appointed panel and the committee constituted by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC).
The government has now written to the Jathedar, informing him about the constitution of the panel and its mandate. PCS officer Harjit Singh Sandhu has been appointed as the nodal officer to facilitate coordination between the two committees.
This development gains significance as a two-hour meeting recently took place between the seven-member panel and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Sunday. It was primarily an introductory interaction, with the committee deciding to first deliberate internally before engaging with the five-member committee constituted by the SGPC.
The seven-member committee includes former Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh, Baba Sahib Singh representing Damdami Taksal, Sant Baba Sewa Singh Rampur Khera, retired Justices Jaspal Singh and Gurbir Singh, retired IPS officer Jatinder Singh Aulakh and Law Officer Preet Inder Pal Singh.
These consultations assume significance as the SGPC and Akal Takht have raised objections to several provisions of the amended legislation. The Takht had raised several objections to the law, particularly related to the Sikh terminology, “custodian” of the religious text, and assigning unique numbers to the holy “Birs”.
Jathedar Giani Kuldip Singh Gargajj on June 29 directed the state government to address the objections concerning the anti-sacrilege law within a month. On July 30, Gargajj rejected the Punjab government's response as “unsatisfactory” and announced a five-member committee to engage with the AAP dispensation on the issue.
The government had then constituted the seven-member panel on September 16 specifically to maintain coordination with the Akal Takht-appointed panel and to submit suggestions and reports on issues concerning the Act.
The Punjab Assembly unanimously passed the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Bill, 2026, on April 13. It received the Governor's assent on April 17 before being notified as an Act shortly thereafter. The anti-sacrilege law was passed by the Punjab Assembly with the stated objective of strengthening legal provisions relating to the protection and sanctity of Guru Granth Sahib.
