In an unexpected gesture, Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj publicly reminded the Punjab Government of the July 29 deadline set for rectifying contentious provisions in the Punjab anti-sacrilege law.
The remark came during the Miri Piri Khalsa March programme, where the Jathedar noticed AAP MLA and former minister Dr Inderbir Singh Nijjar standing nearby. Addressing him directly through the microphone, the Jathedar said, “Nijjar Sahib, 29 tareekh neere aa gayi hai... aje kuchh nahin kita... ohna nu suneha pahuncha do” (Nijjar Sahib, July 29 is approaching and nothing has been done yet. Convey the message to the government).
The brief exchange quickly went viral online, underlining the growing pressure on the Punjab Government to address objections raised by Sikh religious authorities to the Jagat Jyot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Act, 2026.
Dr Nijjar later assured that he would convey the message to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. He also expressed optimism that the government was already working on the issue.
The reminder assumes significance as it comes nearly a month after a landmark hearing held by the Akal Takht on June 29, during which legislators from across political parties appeared before the Sikh clergy over the controversial law. Several MLAs admitted that they had supported the legislation in the Punjab Assembly without “actually reading” it, claiming that copies of the Bill were circulated only at the last minute.
During the hearing, the attending Sikh legislators collectively pledged to secure the necessary amendments within a 30-day period to ensure the legislation aligns with Sikh religious sentiments and traditions.
The Akal Takht had also directed the Punjab Government to keep the implementation of the law in abeyance until all objections were addressed.
The Punjab Assembly had unanimously passed the legislation on April 13, introducing stricter punishments for sacrilege offences.
The Jathedar maintained that the state legislature had overstepped its authority by attempting to define Sikh religious terminology and doctrines within a government legal framework. The Akal Takht secretariat had already sent its objections and suggested rectifications to the Amendment Act to the government.
Sources said the government has forwarded the Akal Takht’s objections to the Advocate General for examination and formalisation of the proposed amendments.
Among the key objections were references related to the Guru Granth Sahib and the substitution of the words ‘Bir’ and ‘Birs’ with ‘saroop’.The Jathedar argued that using terms such as “store”, “storage” and “supply” was inappropriate and disrespectful when referring to the Sikh scripture, which is revered as the living Guru. He sought their replacement with religiously appropriate Punjabi terms such as ‘Sewa Sambhal’, ‘Prakash’, ‘Sukhasan’ and ‘Sachkhand’.
The Akal Takht has also objected to provisions relating to the definition of “custodian”, the tracking and digitisation of saroops (copies) of the Guru Granth Sahib, and the proposal to assign unique tracking numbers to each saroop. The clergy contends that such measures interfere with the sanctity of the scripture.
Further concerns have been raised over proposals to maintain online registries relating to Guru Granth Sahib and over provisions that could require damaged or desecrated saroops to be produced as evidence in police stations or courts.
The Jathedar emphasised that matters related to printing, record-keeping and management of the holy scripture fall exclusively within the jurisdiction of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC).
The jathedar also warned that the stringent penal provisions in the Act could potentially be misused, leading to false cases against granthis, sewadars and members of gurdwara management committees.