Anti-sacrilege law row: Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan appears before Akal Takht
Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan emphasised that the gravity of sacrilege incidents demanded a legislative shift, noting that previous laws often allowed offenders to return to the streets prematurely.
Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan (left) defended the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar Act Amendment 2026, saying that it was a necessity in the state. Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan appeared at the Sri Akal Takht Sahib on Friday after he was summoned by the acting Jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargajj to discuss the controversial new anti-sacrilege legislation.
Following his meeting with the Sikh high priests at the Akal Takht secretariat, Sandhwan spoke to the media but declined to comment on the proceedings. He defended the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar Act Amendment 2026, saying that the stringent legal framework was a necessity for the state.
Addressing the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee’s (SGPC) claims that the community was sidelined during the drafting process, Sandhwan clarified that the government had sought public input. “Proper advertisements were placed in newspapers, and phone numbers and email IDs were provided for feedback,” he said.
He also emphasised that the gravity of sacrilege incidents demanded a legislative shift, noting that previous laws often allowed offenders to return to the streets prematurely. “The issue of sacrilege is a significant one. Even those convicted would come out on bail. So, the new law was needed,” he added, referring to cases where defendants were granted bail after relatively short sentences.
The Punjab government notified the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Act, 2026, on April 20, after the Assembly unanimously passed the Bill during a special session on April 13. The new law provides life imprisonment and a fine of up to Rs 25 lakh for any act of ‘beadbi (sacrilege)’ against the Guru Granth Sahib.
Sandhwan also weighed in on the Enforcement Directorate (ED) searches being conducted in Kharar on Friday, a day after the agency mentioned state Aam Aadmi Party president Aman Arora. “I have not spoken to any ED official. I do not doubt the honesty of Aman Arora,” he said.
A day earlier, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann had paid obeisance at Sri Harmandar Sahib and alleged that the political bosses of the SGPC leadership were involved in sacrilege cases. “It is not the SGPC that is opposing the Act—it is their bosses. They were involved in the sacrilege cases. Their names appeared in those cases,” Mann said on Thursday.
He added that people across the globe and the Sikh community have welcomed the law. “While the entire Sikh community has welcomed this law, the controllers of the SGPC are opposing it because the allegations related to sacrilege point towards them,” he added.
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