No question of anti-sacrilege law rollback, Punjab CM defies Akal Takht ultimatum

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann categorically ruled out any rollback of the anti-sacrilege law. He criticized Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal as a ‘culprit in sacrilege cases’ and said Badal was daydreaming about returning to power. Mann asserted that lakhs of people supported the law and questioned why the Panth would reject it, while accusing Akal Takht of acting as if it were a parallel government and politicising the issue for narrow gains.

Punjab assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan appeared before Akal Takht acting jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj and Takht Damdama Sahib jathedar Giani Tek Singh Dhanaula at the Akal Takht secretariat in Amritsar. The acting jathedar reiterated Akal Takht’s approach to build consensus and indicated that Sikhs would not accept the law without broader consensus, while noting the 15-day deadline and potential action if amendments were not made. Sandhwan stated the government remained committed to Panthic sentiments and suggested that apprehensions could still be addressed through rules framed under the act.

Akal Takht, the supreme temporal seat of the Sikhs, rejected the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Act, 2026 and issued a 15-day ultimatum to the Punjab government to amend it. The acting jathedar announced that Akal Takht would provide a panel of Sikh legal experts and former judges to help build consensus on the legislation. He warned that if the government failed to amend within 15 days, a meeting of the five Sikh clergy would be convened and strict action would follow. Clergy objections focused on provisions requiring the SGPC to upload Guru Granth Sahib saroops to a government-monitored website, described as state-mandated digital surveillance. Sandhwan noted the government’s intention to address apprehensions through rules framed under the act.

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) had previously passed a 2007 resolution authorising the anti-sacrilege legislation that the Akal Takht later rejected in 2026.