Thinking of talking to govt on anti-sacrilege law: Guv

Jalandhar: Punjab governor Gulab Chand Kataria on Thursday said he was considering speaking to the Punjab govt to resolve issues surrounding the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Act, 2026.Kataria made the statement after meeting Akal Takht acting jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargajj and Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Harjinder Singh Dhami at Gurdwara Manji Sahib, Alamgir, near Ludhiana. The jathedar urged the governor to withdraw his assent to the law. Speaking to the media after the meeting, Kataria said different statements had emerged after enactment of the legislation and the issue needed resolution through dialogue with the state govt.Posting about the meeting on its official page, the SGPC said the jathedar handed over a letter to the governor listing objections earlier sent by the Akal Takht to the Punjab govt. The 20-minute meeting focused on what Sikh leaders termed "objectionable provisions" in the law. In the letter, the jathedar stated that the law was enacted without consultation or consensus within the Sikh community. He urged the governor to direct the Punjab govt to proceed further only after reaching a consensus with the Akal Takht and the SGPC.He also cautioned that implementing the amended law without consensus from Sikh institutions could further complicate issues related to incidents of sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib.The jathedar further alleged that the Punjab govt ignored objections raised by Sikh scholars, legal experts, Panthic organisations and the Sikh sangat, which had earlier been forwarded to the state govt through Punjab assembly speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan.He also accused the state govt of ignoring the Akal Takht and the SGPC while framing the legislation. According to the jathedar, the draft law was neither made public nor opened for objections before being passed.While asserting that Sikhs wanted strict punishment for sacrilege, Gargajj said some provisions amounted to interference in Sikh religious affairs, gurdwara management and Sikh rehat maryada.He also argued that the authority to deal with violations of Sikh maryada rested solely with the Akal Takht, and alleged that the state govt had attempted to usurp that role through certain provisions of the law.