The state government’s move to introduce an amendment to the ‘Jagat Jyot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Act 2008’ to strengthen the law against ‘sacrilege’ incidents has not gone down well with Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC). SGPC argues that the Act pertains exclusively to maintaining protocols for printing, publication, and distribution of Sri Guru Granth Sahib and has no linkage with sacrilege incidents. Any kind of amendment to its original format would be held unethical.Earlier, proposals were mooted to take sacrilege incidents under the ambit of legal purview by the respective governments — in 2016 during the SAD-BJP regime and in 2018 during the Congress government, but they ended up lying redundant apparently for ‘want of political will’.Ignoring SGPC outright, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann held a meeting with Sant Samaj representatives in Amritsar’s Circuit House on March 21. Later, he announced convening a special session of the Vidhan Sabha on April 13 to amend the Act and bring stringent law against ‘beadbi’ (sacrilege). The CM stated that the proposed legislation would include strong punishment, heavy fines, property confiscation of the accused, and even offences committed through morphed digital content.In response, SGPC has announced a parallel meeting of Sikh intellectuals and organisations on April 6 at Teja Singh Samundri Hall, SGPC headquarters in Amritsar. SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami has extended an open invitation to various Sikh bodies.“Representatives of all Sikh organisations, including members of the same Sant Samaj who held deliberations with the Chief Minister, are invited to discuss the proposed sacrilege legislation on the SGPC platform,” Dhami said.Dhami clarified that the Act relates solely to the sanctity and management of Sri Guru Granth Sahib and should not be mixed with broader laws dealing with sacrilege. He pointed out that a separate draft legislation — the Punjab Prevention of Offences against Religious Scriptures Bill, 2025 — already exists and could be revived instead of altering the 2008 Act.The SGPC president revealed that a 15-member SGPC sub-committee had been working on a comprehensive anti-sacrilege framework, but the government failed to respond to its communications. “SGPC fully supports rigorous punishment for sacrilege. We’re ready to assist the government in drafting such a law,” Dhami said, adding that the law should not be limited to Punjab alone.AAP MLA Dr Inderbir Singh Nijjar offered to intervene, saying he’ll work as a conduit between SGPC and the state government.