Chandigarh: Almost a month after Akal Takht rejected the Punjab govt’s response to its objections over provisions of the anti-sacrilege law, Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Act, 2026, and asked it to reach consensus with a five-member panel within two months, there has been no progress.The AAP govt is yet to contact the panel.The committee comprising Justice Rupinder Singh Sodhi (retd), Justice Mohinder Mohan Singh Bedi (retd), senior advocate Puran Singh Hundal, Sikh scholar Dr Kehar Singh Patiala, and Ludhiana-based Professor Jagmohan Singh held a meeting on Aug 6. The next day, while pointing out that govt’s July 29 response failed to address fundamental objections raised by Akal Takht, particularly those concerning provisions that entailed “interference in Sikh religious matters”, the panel demanded govt first submit a compliance report on the June 29 order of Akal Takht before any further deliberations on the legislation take place.Advocate Hundal told TOI on Wednesday that no activity had happened after the first meeting of the committee. “Govt has neither approached us nor given any assurance to Akal Takht. We sought the compliance report, but there has been no response. Since there is nothing from govt side, no subsequent meeting has been held.”Hundal said he and Justice Bedi were physically present and other panel members had joined virtually for the Aug 6 meeting. “Akal Takht had set a two-month deadline. One month has passed,” he pointed out.A spokesperson of Akal Takht said they were awaiting a govt response to Akal Takht’s July 31 letters to Punjab assembly speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan and Sikh MLA ,where it said govt should establish contact with the panel to hold discussions and build consensus. Akal Takht letters also asked Sandhwan and MLAs to ensure no further amendments were made till there was a consensus between the panel, Akal Takht and SGPC.Subsequent to this, the proposed amendment was not introduced in the assembly session held between Aug 3 and 10.Sandhwan, when contacted , said the parliamentary affairs minister was the right person to comment. “I am not involved in the process,” he said.Parliamentary Affairs minister Ravjot Singh was not available for comment. He did not respond to calls and a text message.AAP MLA Inderbir Singh Nijjar, who submitted govt’s July 29 response to Akal Takht said, “What I have been told is that govt is in touch, but I am not privy to it.”Asked about claims of the state govt not yet responding to Akal Takht or establishing contact with the panel, Nijjar said, “I am not really sure where the things stand today.” On his July 29 response, Nijjar said he had been instructed to do it.Punjab govt notified the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Act on April 20 after its passage by the assembly and assent by the governor. Akal Takht later objected to provisions on the terminology and treatment of Guru Granth Sahib’s saroops, the role of a custodian and a centralised record of saroops, saying such matters required Panthic consideration.After summoning Sikh ministers and MLAs who supported the legislation, Akal Takht on June 29 directed the state govt to address the objections within a month. The state govt submitted its response on July 29, but Akal Takht rejected it the next day as unsatisfactory, saying it accepted only one objection and remained “rigid” on the others. It then constituted the panel and asked the state govt to resolve the matter through consensus within two months.
