Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announced on Tuesday that the state government will thoroughly deliberate on the critical suggestions put forward by the Akal Takht regarding the recently enacted Jagat Jyoti Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Act, 2026. Speaking to media personnel during his visit to Dhuri, the Chief Minister provided the administration’s first official response to the strict religious directive issued just a day prior. Mann confirmed that the government plans to formally present the comprehensive feedback and proposed modifications before the Punjab Legislative Assembly during its upcoming session.
The Chief Minister’s statements follow an explicit directive from the Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of Sikhism, ordering the Punjab Government to temporarily put the implementation of the strict anti-sacrilege legislation in abeyance. The religious body’s intervention came after several Sikh legislators and state Cabinet ministers formally appeared before the Akal Takht secretariat to discuss deep structural objections raised by various Sikh religious organizations and global diaspora bodies.
The Akal Takht has strictly mandated the state government to keep the active enforcement of the Act on hold for a period of one month. During this timeframe, the administration is required to carry out essential amendments by holding wide-ranging consultations with key Sikh institutions and legal experts. Highlighting the sensitivity of the matter, religious authorities emphasized that all foundational objections concerning the legal definitions and administrative execution of the anti-sacrilege law must be comprehensively rectified before the revised legislation can be moved forward legally.
