Bhagwant Mann Reaffirms Akal Takht’s Supremacy, Promises Cabinet Action

June 30, 2026

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said that he will consider whatever suggestions come from Sri Akal Takht Sahib regarding the sacrilege law.

In a conversation CM Mann said-

At the same time, after the appearance of Sikh ministers and MLAs at Sri Akal Takht Sahib in Amritsar yesterday, it became clear that the government cannot ignore the sect irrespective of which party it belongs to. MLAs of all parties appeared at the Akal Takht like a normal Sikh. 5 Singh sat on the ground in front of the sahibans.

During the hearing, the Jathedar surrounded the government over media management. However, in the end, the Jathedar raised 6 objections and said that it is the job of the government to make laws and punish, but these objections should be removed. He gave a month’s time for this. Until then, the law was asked to be put on hold.

Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Sandhwan and Finance Minister Harpal Cheema walked out of the House of Representatives and said the government will discuss the written objections from the Akal Takht. After that, we will decide on the change in the law. Read the full report to know what the real meaning of the appearance in the Akal Takht is, what impact it will have on the upcoming elections:

8 Meanings of Appearance of Ministers-MLAs in Shri Akal Takht: –

1. Sect Supreme, Politics Ethics of Religion in Punjab During the appearance of Sikh MLAs and ministers regarding the sacrilege law in Sri Akal Takht Sahib, the Jathedar of Akal Takht, Giani Kuldeep Singh Gadgaj, gave a clear message that the Sikh Panth (religion) is supreme in Punjab. He clearly said at the time of the appearance that the principle of ‘Miri-Piri’ (politics and religion) has been paramount in Sikh history and philosophy, under which politics always runs within the realm of the morality of religion.

Jathedar Gadgaj said that today politics has come to religion, when politics goes with religion, justice is done. The presence of the entire cabinet and MLA barefoot in front of the Akal Takht proves that even today no elected government of Punjab is above the highest religious authority Shri Akal Takht in Sikh matters.

2. During the ineffective appearance of political power in front of the Akal Takht, Jathedar Giani Gadgaj showed the power of Shri Akal Takht to the leaders and made it clear that the proceedings will be carried out according to what they say here. When Sukhpal Khaira was saying, at the same time some MLAs and ministers of the Aam Aadmi Party stood up and started protesting, then Jathedar Gadgaj bluntly said that this is not the assembly, it is Shri Akal Takht Sahib.

This behavior will not work here, sit down. As soon as the jathedar pressed in, everyone sat down. He also stopped Sukhpal Khaira from speaking. When Khaira prayed, he gave her a minute. As soon as the time was up, Khaira was also stopped. Not only this, when AAP government minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian started speaking in favor of the government, the Jathedar also interrupted him.

3. AAP government exposed, without reading the law During the approving presentation, Jathedar Giani Gadgaj questioned each MLA regarding the law. Aam Aadmi Party MLAs said they had agreed to it. But when Giani Gadgaj asked if he had studied law, most of them said he had not. MLA Manjit Singh said that he had read the law and the Jathedar asked him the definition of custodian.

To which he said that if any madman or child commits sacrilege, then his parents will be custodians and they will be punished. On this, the wise Gadgaj sarcastically said that well done all such wise people should be. Many MLAs saying that they have not read the law has become a cause of great embarrassment for the government. The AAP government was completely exposed by the MLAs’ confession that MLAs and ministers do not read the law before passing it.

4. Government interference in the sect is not acceptable Jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gadgaj warned the government that no interference in matters related to the sect will be acceptable. The government will not decide what the sect has to do and what not to do. The Jathedar said that being a Sikh, he can give suggestions, whether he believes them or not, the sect will decide.

The Jathedar has raised technical objections to the use of the word ‘Swaroop’ instead of ‘Beed’ and the issuance of a ‘unique number’ to put a record of the holy Swaroop on the website. This simply means that the Punjab Assembly or any secular court cannot dictate non-Sikh decorum and sectarian terminology.

This right is reserved only with the Akal Takht and the Panthak institutions like the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC). The government can only enact a criminal act to punish the culprits, not to set decorum.

5. Questions on Akali Dal’s attitude During the hearing, Giani Kuldeep Singh Gadgaj also questioned the attitude of the Akali Dal for not opposing the sacrilege law. Giani Gadgaj asked Akali MLA Ganiv Kaur Majithia a question, “Did you oppose it?”, then she said that she protested outside the assembly.

When asked what she had to say in the assembly, Ganiv Kaur said that she was not present. To which Giani Gadgaj said that you should have gone there and opposed it, why did you not go? On which Ganiv Kaur had to clarify and said that they do not allow them to speak inside and insult them.

6. AAP Minister-MLA bows before the Akal Takht Regarding the sacrilege law, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has been continuously saying that we have made a good law, and some people have problems with it. The Chief Minister has consistently stood in favour of the law. On the other hand, from the ministers of the Aam Aadmi Party government to the Assembly Speaker, they bowed before the Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht Sahib.

Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian defended and said that the law has been made to prevent sacrilege. There was a demand for a strict law, keeping that in mind, a law of strict punishment was enacted. If Sri Akal Takht Sahib has any objections to this, then they will be removed. During this time, Finance Minister Harpal Cheema tried to defend the law by showing an order of the Akal Takht, but Jathedar Gadgaj said that you have misinterpreted it.

It was in this order that if there is sacrilege, action should be taken against the managers. The Jathedar said that it is for the religious action that the Akal Takht performs. Where did you write the legal action, which you made law?

7. Congress made itself separate from the sacrilege law, when Jathedar Giani Gadgaj asked the Congress MLA and LOP about the sacrilege law, he came with full preparation. He began to read his entire speech of the assembly and surrounded the government. He said that the government had suggested that suggestions on this should be taken from Sri Akal Takht Sahib, but he did not agree.

This is what Sukhpal Khaira and Pargat Singh said. The Congress distanced itself from the sacrilege law controversy and cornered the government. At the same time, the Nehru-Master Tara Singh Pact was also mentioned during the hearing, in which it was decided that religious law will not be made without the advice of the SGPC. This also benefited the Congress, and they are now seen saying that Nehru had made this agreement considering Sikhism as supreme.

8. Government openly besieged on media management When the appearance started, AAP MLA Inderbir Singh Nijjar requested not to broadcast live in front of the Akal Takht. On which the Jathedar of the Akal Takht Giani Gadgaj said that your Chief Minister had said that do it live, I will open everyone’s pots. Whoever opened the pots that are to be opened live in front of the cameras.

During the hearing, the live telecast of the appearance on TV channels suddenly stopped. When Jathedar Giani Gadgaj came to know, he said in the middle that a minister of the government should talk to his media team about why the live broadcast on TV was stopped, let it run.

After that, he took the name of Kultar Singh Sandhwa and asked him to call soon and start its live broadcast on the channels. At the same time, the SAD, Congress and BJP surrounded the government after the live broadcast was stopped and alleged that the government manages the media.

Know from the expert, what is the next muscle and what is its effect: –

Dr. Harpal Singh Pannu, a retired professor of the religious department of Punjabi University, Patiala, says that Shri Akal Takht is the highest religious institution. Every Sikh obeys his orders. It is the government’s job to make rules and regulations. The government must consult the heads of religious institutions while making laws on religious matters so that there is no confrontation.

The government can take 3 types of decisions, know its political impact … Political expert Pawandeep Singh says that the Akal Takht has given the government 1 month time to amend the law. In this, the government can implement it in 3 ways…

First… If the government directly rejects the objections given by the Akal Takht, then it can harm the AAP in the 2027 elections. If the Sikh vote bank is shattered from the AAP, then it can benefit parties like Akali Dal, Akali Dal Waris Punjab De.

Second…If the government fully amends the law by accepting all the objections, then it will send a direct message to the common Sikhs that the government did not make the law properly, in such a situation, AAP can get stuck here in the election that they made the law arbitrarily. However, the way CM Bhagwant Mann is constantly advocating for the law, there are no chances of accepting all the objections.

Third… It could be a middle ground. The biggest objection to the Akal Takht is the definition of custodian, which provides for legal action against the managers of gurdwaras. The government can definitely amend the law by taking some relaxation in it. This will remove the major objection to the Akal Takht, and the government will not have to amend the law completely. There will also be confusion among the people about the law as to who was right and who was wrong.