Core provisions of anti-sacrilege law will not be diluted, says CM Mann as review panels begin work

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has said that the core provisions of the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Act, 2026, including life imprisonment and heavy fines for sacrilege, cannot be diluted.

His remarks came as a seven-member coordination committee set up by the state government on the Act held its first meeting at his residence in Chandigarh. The committee will deliberate on the provisions of the law and matters related to its implementation.

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and the Akal Takht have raised objections to several provisions of the amended Act, and panels have been formed to examine them.

Mann said the Akal Takht was supreme for all and that the government would leave no stone unturned to protect the sanctity and dignity of Sri Guru Granth Sahib. He said that while the provisions are discussed with the panel constituted by the Akal Takht and a consensus is built, the spirit and core objective of the law must not be compromised.

The amended Act, passed by the Punjab Vidhan Sabha earlier this year, provides for stringent punishment, including life imprisonment, for sacrilege of Sri Guru Granth Sahib.