Bhagwant Mann to review anti-sacrilege law with panel amid Akal Takht concerns
Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann will meet the seven-member coordination committee on Sunday to discuss implementation of the amended anti-sacrilege law, amid Akal Takht objections over provisions concerning custodianship of the Guru Granth Sahib and numbering of holy Birs.
Last UpdatedSep 26, 2026 21:28 IST 
Published byPunjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann will sit down with a seven-member panel on Sunday to deliberate on the amended anti-sacrilege law, amid objections raised by the Akal Takht over key provisions of the legislation.
The meeting of the coordination committee will be held at Mann’s residence at 1 pm, with discussions centred on the provisions of the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Act, 2026 and issues surrounding its implementation.
According to an official statement issued on Saturday, the meeting aims to ensure the highest standards of ‘satkar’ (reverence) for the Guru Granth Sahib. All seven members of the committee are expected to attend.
The panel includes former Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh, Sant Giani Harnaam Singh Khalsa, Sant Baba Sewa Singh, former Justices Jaswinder Singh and Gurbir Singh, former IPS officer Jatinder Singh Aulakh and Advocate Preet Inder Paul Singh.
The legislation has been under scrutiny since the Punjab Assembly unanimously passed the amendment bill on April 13. It provides for stricter punishment for acts of sacrilege against the Guru Granth Sahib, including life imprisonment and fines ranging from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 25 lakh.
But the law has also opened a dialogue between the state government and the Sikh religious authority over provisions that the Akal Takht has questioned.
Among the concerns are the definition of the term "custodian" of the religious text and the provision for assigning unique numbers to the holy ‘Birs’.
On June 29, Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Kuldip Singh Gargajj directed the Punjab government to address the objections within a month.
A month later, on July 30, Gargajj rejected the state government's response as "unsatisfactory" and announced a five-member committee to engage with the AAP government on the legislation.
Sunday’s meeting comes against this backdrop, with the coordination committee set to examine the law and the issues surrounding its implementation.