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Punjab: Amid mounting pressure, AAP govt mulls tweaking anti-sacrilege law
The controversy surrounds the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar Act, which the state assembly passed on April 13 and quickly received assent from governor Gulab Chand Kataria on April 17
Facing intense pressure from the Sikh clergy and Panthic bodies, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab has taken an in-principle decision to amend the recently notified anti-sacrilege law, people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.
The government is likely to convene an assembly session soon to discuss the legislative modifications, they added.
The controversy surrounds the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar Act, which the state assembly passed on April 13 and quickly received assent from governor Gulab Chand Kataria on April 17. Despite its intent to act as a strong deterrent to acts of desecration, the law quickly ran afoul of the Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of Sikhs, that strongly objected to specific clauses, stating that these interfere with matters falling strictly under Sikh religious authority.
The Sikh clergy also pointed out that central religious institutions, such as the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), were not adequately consulted during the drafting process.
The religio-political standoff escalated on June 29, when Akal Takht acting jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj issued a stern directive after summoning all Sikh MLAs across party lines to appear before the Takht, giving a one-month ultimatum to amend the “controversial” portions of the Act. Following the decree, opposition parties, led by the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), intensified their offensive against the ruling AAP.
A cabinet meeting is expected in a few days to finalise amendments and the schedule of the Vidhan Sabha session will be notified soon, said an official, privy to the development. “We have conducted a survey and also taken feedback from different Sikh religious bodies who are not against the amendments in the act but want certain issues be dealt with in a religious context and with compassion,” said the official.
“AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal is also reaching the state on July 17 after which the amendments will be finalised,” said a top party leader, who did not want to be named.
He said the planned amendments will not dilute the law’s stringent penalties. The Act currently mandates life imprisonment and a fine of up to ₹25 lakh for acts of sacrilege (beadbi) against the Guru Granth Sahib. “Our feedback and surveys show that people are completely supportive of the strict punishment and penalty clauses,” the AAP leader added.
