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Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann will convene a meeting of the seven-member coordination committee on Sunday to examine the amended anti-sacrilege law. The meeting, scheduled for 1 pm at Mann's residence in New Delhi, will deliberate on provisions of the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Act, 2026 and matters related to its implementation, with an aim to uphold the highest standards of 'satkar' (reverence) for the Sikh Holy Book Guru Granth Sahib.
The coordination committee comprises 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 amendment bill was unanimously passed by the Punjab Assembly on April 13 and includes provisions for stricter punishment, including life imprisonment and fines ranging from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 25 lakh for any act of sacrilege against the Guru Granth Sahib.
However, the Akal Takht has raised several objections to the law, particularly regarding the definition of custodian of the religious text and on assigning unique numbers to the holy Birs. On June 29, Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Kuldip Singh Gargajj directed the state government to address these objections within a month. Gargajj subsequently rejected the Punjab government's response as unsatisfactory on July 30.
