The Maharashtra Government is set to overhaul the management framework of Takht Sachkhand Sri Hazur Sahib. The state Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, has approved a proposal to repeal the 70-year-old Nanded Sikh Gurdwara Sachkhand Sri Hazur Abchalnagar Sahib Act, 1956.The existing Act will be replaced with a new legislation titled the Takht Sachkhand Sri Hazur Abchalnagar Sahib Gurdwara Act, marking a structural reset of the legal regime governing the Takht in Nanded, a shrine of immense historical and religious significance associated with Guru Gobind Singh.Ravinder Singh Bhungai, secretary of the Takht Sri Hazur Sahib Board, confirmed that the Maharashtra Cabinet had proposed repealing the 1956 Act.He said the draft of the new law had received Cabinet approval and would be finalised in consultation with the Law and Justice Department before being tabled in the state legislature during the ongoing monsoon session. Once approved, it would be followed by fresh rules governing the administration, elections and bylaws of the gurdwara board.Bhungai said Takht Jathedar Giani Kulwant Singh and other religious personalities had lodged their dissent with the government’s move, arguing that it could lead to direct government intervention while curtailing the role of Sikh institutions in Takht affairs.Nonetheless, the proposal was tabled by state Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Krishnarao Bawankule. He argued that several provisions of the 1956 Act had become outdated and that the manifold increase in pilgrim footfall and related logistics had expanded the administrative scope, necessitating an entirely new regulatory framework.The push for a new law is rooted in the recommendations of a state-appointed committee (the Justice Bhatia panel), which examined issues related to governance, management and the electoral framework of the gurdwara board. The government has maintained that a modernised legal structure is intended to make the administration more transparent, accountable and efficient.The repeal comes against the backdrop of prolonged friction between Sikh bodies and the Maharashtra Government over amendments to the same Act in recent years. Sikh organisations in India and abroad had termed such moves “direct interference” in religious affairs and alleged attempts at state control over a Takht.Earlier, in February 2024, the Maharashtra Government had allowed direct nomination of 12 of the 17 members of the board. It had also reduced the number of members sent by the SGPC from four to two, while abolishing nominations by the Chief Khalsa Diwan, Hazuri Sachkhand Diwan and the membership of two Sikh MPs.Following strong protests by the SGPC and other Sikh organisations, the government was compelled to roll back the amendment.Built by Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the Takht is one of the five highest seats of authority in Sikhism. Situated in Nanded, it is the place where Guru Gobind Singh is believed to have breathed his last.