In a significant escalation of the standoff between the Punjab government and the Sikh clergy, Akal Takht on Friday formally rejected the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Act, 2026. Following an appearance by Punjab assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan before acting jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj and Takht Damdama Sahib jathedar Giani Tek Singh Dhanaula, the clergy issued a stern 15-day ultimatum to the Aam Aadmi Party government to repeal the legislation.
The jathedar made it clear that the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) will not comply with the Act’s requirement to upload records of Guru Granth Sahib ‘saroops (copies)’ to a government-monitored website. He asserted that religious records and the management of the living Guru’s sanctity remain the exclusive domain of the Panth (Sikh community) and cannot be subjected to state-mandated digital surveillance.
Speaking after his appearance at the Golden Temple complex, Sandhwan attempted to bridge the divide, though his clarifications failed to appease the clergy. “I cannot disclose much about the conversation,” Sandhwan said, “but I conveyed that we are committed to the Panth and will act according to its sentiments. What we have already done was according to the sentiments of the Panth.”
Responding to claims that the SGPC was not consulted, Sandhwan defended the government’s process: “Nothing is like that. We got an advertisement published in the newspapers and sought suggestions before the legislation. A stricter law for sacrilege culprits was the need of the hour and we did that. Rest, jathedar sahib has his own points on this law; only he and his representatives can explain them.”
Conflict over sovereignty
Despite Sandhwan’s defence, Giani Gargaj’s address was particularly critical of chief minister Bhagwant Mann’s ongoing Shukrana Yatra across Punjab. The clergy maintained that by embarking on a thanksgiving march to celebrate the law, the chief minister directly challenged the supremacy of Akal Takht, especially since the Takht had already signalled the Act was unacceptable.
The acting jathedar described the celebration as an affront to Sikh traditions, noting: “Temporal authorities cannot claim victory over matters of faith without the consensus of the sangat (community).”
The primary objection remains the state’s attempt to institutionalise religious protocols through civil law, viewed as a violation of the Sikh Rehat Maryada (code of conduct). While the 2026 Act introduces penalties up to life imprisonment for sacrilege, Sikh bodies have flagged “inappropriate terminology”—such as using the word “store” for the place where ‘saroops’ are kept—as evidence of a deep disconnect from religious sanctity.
The acting jathedar has now warned that if the Act is not repealed within 15 days, the Panj Singh Sahiban will convene to pronounce a formal religious edict (hukamnama) against the government, placing the AAP-led administration in a precarious position between its legislative agenda and a direct collision with the highest seat of Sikh authority.
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