Akal Takht officiating Jathedar Kuldip Singh Gargaj has summoned Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan on May 8 over the passage of an anti-sacrilege law in the House last month. He has been summoned at the Akal Takht secretariat at 11 am to explain his position over it.
Gargaj said the state’s AAP government went ahead with the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkaar (Amendment) Act despite requests to send the draft law to the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) for consultation.
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He said this referring to an April 6 resolution adopted at a gathering of several Panthic bodies led by him.
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The Bill was passed a week later on April 13. The Jathedar’s remarks came following a meeting with Sikh bodies at Bhai Gurdas Hall. It was attended by representatives of several Sikh bodies.
The Jathedar said consultation with the Panth was essential for any decision concerning the protection and dignity of Guru Granth Sahib. He alleged that the government neither took the Akal Takht nor the SGPC into confidence when amending the Act.
Before the inclusion of anti-sacrilege provisions, the Act primarily dealt with printing, publication and supply of Guru Granth Sahib, which is controlled exclusively by the SGPC. Instead of an amendment to the Act, the SGPC and several Sikh bodies had sought a separate legislation to deal with desecration cases. Gargaj said the Akal Takht endorsed strict punishment for those convicted in sacrilege cases, but implementing the Act without due deliberations with Panthic bodies was unacceptable. The summons to Sandhwan come following a January 5 warning. Gargaj had said that Sandhwan could be summoned by him for failing to fulfil over a three-year-old promise to deliver justice to the Sikh community in sacrilege cases. Jaskaran Singh, a spokesperson at the Akal Takht secretariat, said following assurance of justice in sacrilege cases by Sandhwan, a protest at Bargari was lifted.
He said Sandhwan was holding an important position and he could have suggested the government to pay heed to the decision of the Panthic bodies. The case of Balwant Singh Rajoana, on death row for the assassination of former CM Beant Singh, was also taken up. On April 20, the SGPC executive had authorised Takht to issue an order regarding the appeal of Rajoana, who had sought the withdrawal of his mercy plea filed on his behalf with the Centre. The issue was kept pending for the next meeting