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Anti-sacrilege law: Akal Takht-appointed panel seeks compliance report from Punjab govt
The panel, formed to deliberate on issues concerning the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Act, 2026, with the state government, held its first meeting on Thursday
The Akal Takht-appointed expert panel on Friday asked the Punjab government to first submit a compliance report on objections raised by the highest Sikh temporal seat before any further discussion on the proposed anti-sacrilege legislation could take place.
The panel, formed to deliberate on issues concerning the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Act, 2026, with the state government, held its first meeting on Thursday.
It pointed out that the government’s July 29 response failed to address fundamental objections raised by the Akal Takht, especially against those provisions concerning interference in Sikh religious matters.
On June 29, Akal Takht acting jathedar Giani Kuldip Singh Gargaj had directed the state government to address his objections concerning the anti-sacrilege law within a month.
In a statement issued on Friday, the Akal Takht secretariat said, “The response of the Punjab government, received on the penultimate day of the one-month deadline, is clearly an obfuscation of facts and an attempt to skirt the issue. The concerns of the Khalsa Panth have been clearly communicated to the assembly Speaker and members of the Punjab cabinet on July 31.”
It further said, “The government’s conduct so far has not been constructive towards finding a resolution to the grave and sensitive issue of sacrilege. Despite substantial time afforded by the Akal Takht, the Punjab government has not yet constituted its panel to deliberate on the issue.”
Lakhvir Singh, additional secretary, SGPC Sub-Office, Chandigarh, coordinated the meeting of the panel, comprising Justice Rupinder Singh Sodhi (retd), Justice Mohinder Mohan Singh Bedi (retd), senior advocate Puran Singh Hundal, Sikh scholars Kehar Singh and Jagmohan Singh.
Takht secretariat’s media adviser Jaskaran Singh also participated in the deliberations.
