The legislative move did not go unchallenged by Sikh religious authority. After returning from New Zealand, Akal Takht acting Jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj called a meeting of Sikh scholars on May 3 at Bhai Gurdas Hall, near the Golden Temple, to discuss the Satkar Amendment Act, 2026.Sources in the Akal Takht secretariat confirmed that invitations were sent to Sikh bodies, scholars, and lawyers to deliberate on the Act, noting that the passage of the legislation had elicited diverse opinions among Sikh institutions and scholars.
The core concern among many Sikh religious figures was one of sovereignty. A section of Sikh academicians and experts had already rejected the move, arguing that the state was encroaching upon religious matters with the Punjab Legislative Assembly’s approval of the Act.Earlier, during an April 6 gathering convened by the SGPC, Jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gurgajj had underlined that all decisions connected to the respect and principles of Guru Granth Sahib Ji must be made collectively by the entire Panth not by state legislatures.
The impact on the Sikh Sangat has been profound and multifaceted a community simultaneously relieved, suspicious, hopeful, and outraged.A Protest That Became a Symbol Perhaps the most dramatic illustration of the law’s emotional significance is the story of one activist who staged a 560-day protest atop a BSNL tower. The 43-year-old former Army sepoy-turned-activist had climbed the towering structure on October 12, 2024, refusing to descend until the government enacted strict legal provisions to punish sacrilege of the Guru Granth Sahib living in a cramped 8-by-10-foot makeshift shelter through searing summers, biting winters, storms, and isolation, with supporters below turning the tower base into a near-permanent vigil site.
He descended only after the Act was officially notified, declaring the protest a victory and expressing gratitude to the State Government, CM Bhagwant Mann, and Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan for pushing the legislation forward. This one image a man coming down from the sky after 560 days captured the desperation and yearning that many ordinary Sikhs feel. Yet even this moment of closure was complicated by the religious community’s pushback against the law itself.
For another large section of the Sangat, the new law cannot be celebrated while older wounds remain unhealed. Congress figures like Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa pointed out that earlier sacrilege cases are still unresolved, questioning whether new legislation can make up for past failures. Pargat Singh highlighted the lack of progress in investigating 2015 incidents, suggesting that focusing on new laws may distract from unfinished cases.The Dal Khalsa gave voice to this sentiment bluntly, stating that the Sikh community’s experience with law and justice is open for the world to see that the administration, the executive, and the judiciary have failed the Sikhs, and that to now think the state is being gracious in enacting a law for the Satkar of Guru Granth Sahib is not only naive but also sanctimonious.
A significant current within the Sangat has gone further rejecting not just the AAP government’s motives but the very idea of seeking justice for beadbi through state law. Dal Khalsa appealed to the Akal Takht Jathedar and the SGPC to address the growing menace of sacrilege through Sikh traditions and community strength, outrightly rejecting the need for new government legislation.
Their resolution was clear: “We appeal to the Jathedar Akal Takht to take steps and actions to prepare the Khalsa Panth to responsibly and boldly face and respond to such challenges as per Sikh jujharoo traditions rather than leaning before the government to frame any new law.”
Working President of Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar), Eman Singh Mann, challenged the state’s sincerity, arguing that before going for a new law, the government should first show its resolve and deal with incidents of the past using existing laws in letter and spirit.The broader argument being made is one of religious sovereignty that the sanctity of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji is a matter for the Khalsa Panth to defend, not a matter to be delegated to a government that has proven itself unreliable in the past.
One of the deepest anxieties surfacing in the Sikh Sangat is the fear that the Beadbi law will become a political tool rather than a genuine instrument of justice. Critics argue that the broad definition of sacrilege especially its inclusion of speech and digital expression could create ambiguity and the potential for misuse.
Sukhbir Singh Badal noted that similar provisions were attempted in 2016, arguing that the issue lies in implementation rather than a lack of laws. The fear among many Panthic observers