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Punjab assembly passes bill to amend Sikh Gurdwaras Act for free telecast of Gurbani
Sikh Gurdwaras (Amendment Bill), 2023, makes way for free-of-cost broadcast of Gurbani across media platforms, also places restrictions on advertisements before and after telecast; until now, PTC, a private channel in which SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal has stakes, had the exclusive telecast rights of Gurbani.
The Punjab assembly on Tuesday passed the Sikh Gurdwaras (Amendment) Bill, 2023, to ensure free-of-cost broadcast of Gurbani from Harmandar Sahib (Golden Temple) across platforms, amid opposition from Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) legislators, who termed it an interference with Sikhs affairs.
The House passed the amendment in the Sikh Gurdwara Act 1925 by inserting Section 125A for ‘Live telecast of Gurbani free-of-cost’.
Part-1 of Section 125A reads: “It shall be the duty of the board to propagate the teachings of the Gurus by making uninterrupted (without any on screen running advertisements or commercials or distortion) live feed (audio or audio as well as video) of holy Gurbani from Harmandar Sahib available free-of-cost to all media houses, outlets, platforms, channels etc, whosoever wishes to broadcast anywhere (including all over the world).”
Part-2 mandates that anyone broadcasting the holy Gurbani from Harmandar Sahib shall not run any advertisement at least 30 minutes prior to the start of Gurbani broadcast or 30 minutes after it.
Until now, PTC, a private channel in which SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal has stakes, had the exclusive telecast rights of Gurbani. Due to this, Badal had been accused of monopolising the telecast, a charge he has refuted.
Idea to allow free broadcast rights for all: AAP
Opening discussions on the matter, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator Budh Ram said, as per the amendment, it was the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee’s (SGPC) duty to propagate Gurbani.
Highlighting the importance of Guru’s Bani, the AAP MLA said “mukh waak” has a special significance in Sikh religion as Sikhs start their day by reciting or listening to “mukh waak” from Sri Guru Granth Sahib and with the amendment, the same should be broadcast across the globe. Giving a singular channel the rights for telecast, he said, makes widespread distribution impossible.
He added the state government did not intend to usurp anyone’s rights to telecast Gurbani and the crux of the amendment, under the new Section 125A, was to allow all channels free broadcast rights.
SGPC should run its own channel: SAD’s Ayali
SAD legislator Manpreet Singh Ayali said that one single channel should not have the telecast rights so the SGPC should run its own channel for the telecast of Gurbani. He opposed the amendment in the act of 1925, terming it an interference with the SGPC affairs.
Notably, former Akal Takht acting jathedar Harpreet Singh had issued an edict suggesting that the SGPC run its own channel.
Ayali also called upon the House to withdraw the bill and suggested that discussions be held with the SGPC and SAD on the issue.
The SGPC, that controls the management of over 100 gurdwaras, including the Golden Temple, in Punjab, is an elected body which has representatives elected by the Sikh electorate. It has also been vehemently opposing the amendment, which it sees as the state’s interference in the affairs of an elected body.
According to MLA Dr Sukhwinder Sukhi, also belonging to SAD, there may not be any bad intention in the government’s move, but it is not required.
“The SGPC and the Akal Takht Jathedar have issued an appeal for not making an amendment in the Act so it should be withdrawn,” he also suggested.
Nachhatar Pal, the legislator belonging to Bahujan Samaj Party, an ally of the SAD, also opposed the move for amendment in the act of 1925.
Broadcast can’t be monopolised by one family: AAP’s Kohli
However, AAP MLA Ajit Pal Kohli welcomed the amendment as according to him the broadcast of Gurbani can’t be monopolised by one family.
Channel benefiting from exclusive rights: CM
While concluding the discussion, chief minister Bhagwant Mann said Gurbani was “sarab sanjhi”, but it had been restricted to a single channel for eleven years. “I am not saying that Gurbani telecast rights should be given to anyone close to me or my relative,” he announced in the House, adding that the Gurbani telecast by PTC was not free-to-air and the channel held intellectual rights over it.
He added that because of the exclusive telecast rights of Gurbani, the channel is getting higher television rating point (TRP), which leads to higher advertisement rates for the channel.
After exactly a month, on July 21, the SGPC’s contract with the said channel will expire which would be followed by free telecast of Gurbani on all TV and radio channels, and media platforms, announced the CM.
