78 Sikh legislators summoned; many admit they had not read the Bill before voting for it
Warned AAP Govt to consult Takht Sahib before passing legislation but advice went unheeded : Bajwa
Amritsar, June 29, 2026 (Bharat Khabarnama Bureau) : Sri Akal Takht Sahib, Sri Amritsar Sahib on Monday directed the AAM Aadmi Party led Punjab Government to review and rectify the objections raised to the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Act, 2026 within one month, while directing that the implementation of the legislation be kept on hold until the concerns are fully addressed.
The directions were issued by Sri Akal Takht Sahib Jathedar Singh Sahib Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj during a special meeting of the Panj Singh Sahiban with all Sikh ministers, MLAs and the Speaker of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha at Sri Akal Takht Sahib. Around 78 legislators, including Cabinet Ministers, the Speaker and Sikh MLAs from different political parties, attended the proceedings in response to summons issued by Sri Akal Takht Sahib. They all raised their hands and assured to resolve this objection by calling a special session of the Legislative Assembly within a month.
During the meeting, the Jathedar explained the religious and constitutional objections to the legislators and handed over a written copy of the concerns to them. He directed them to ensure that the objections are addressed within one month and a compliance report is submitted to Sri Akal Takht Sahib. He also instructed that a copy of the objections would be formally handed over to Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan, and that the Government should take whatever legislative or administrative steps are necessary, including convening a special session of the Assembly to remove the objections within the stipulated period.
The Jathedar interacted with the legislators, posed questions regarding the legislation, the word ‘custodian’ and also played video clips of CM Bhagwant Singh Mann during the proceedings to explain the basis of the objections raised by the Sikh clergy. The MLAs remained silent when asked about the absence of any provision in the law despite the Chief Minister’s announcements to punish the parents of the custodian, but rebel Akali MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali admitted that this was not mentioned in the law.
Several legislators acknowledged that they had not studied the Bill in detail before supporting and passing it during the special session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha in April this year, while some others admitted they were not fully aware of all its provisions.
Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj maintained that Sri Akal Takht Sahib had intervened because the legislation, in its present form, crossed into matters falling within the religious jurisdiction of Sikh institutions. He clarified that Sri Akal Takht Sahib was not opposed to legislation aimed at preventing sacrilege and the harsh punishment, but asserted that any law dealing with Sikh religious matters must not infringe upon the authority of Sri Akal Takhat Sahib, Sikh traditions or autonomy of Sikh religious institutions.
The Jathedar also categorically rejected a demand made by former Minister Inderbir Singh Nijjer that live telecast of the proceedings from Sri Akal Takht Sahib be avoided. Instead, Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj cited the earlier statement of Bhagwant Mann himself in favour of live telecast and proceeded to allow the proceedings to be broadcast.
Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa submitted before Sri Akal Takht Sahib that he had advised the AAP Government in the house to seek the views of the Takht Sahib, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and religious leaders before passing the Bill on sacrilege, but his advice was ignored and went unheeded.