Amid the ongoing debate involving the Akal Takht and the AAP government in Punjab, the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC) has urged Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini to enact a law similar to Punjab’s stringent anti-sacrilege legislation.Punjab recently notified the “Jagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Act, 2026” on April 20, following its unanimous passage in a special session of the Vidhan Sabha on April 13. The amendment seeks to strengthen legal provisions against incidents of ‘beadbi’ (sacrilege) of Guru Granth Sahib.HSGMC president Jagdish Singh Jhinda said the Sikh community in Haryana supports such a move. “We have urged Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini to introduce an identical and equally stringent law in Haryana, just as the Punjab Government has done,” he said.Calling sacrilege a national concern, Jhinda said, “These unfortunate incidents take place not in Punjab alone but in other states as well. Therefore, we believe such a law should not be confined to Punjab but have a broader jurisdiction.”He said the HSGMC had also written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, seeking a central law on sacrilege to ensure uniformity and a stronger deterrent.Without directly addressing the Akal Takht’s opposition, Jhinda alleged politicisation of the issue under the SGPC. “We are unaware of the precise grounds on which the Akal Takht opposed the legislation. However, the SGPC’s stance appears to be motivated to please its ‘political bosses’ as they tend to lose the political leverage after the Bhagwant Singh Mann government succeeded in bringing the law into force,” he claimed.The amendment has been rejected by Akal Takht officiating Jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj, who termed it “misinterpreted” and lacking Panthic endorsement. He has summoned Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan to the Akal Takht on May 8 for clarification.The SGPC has also raised objections. Its president Harjinder Singh Dhami supported strict punishment for sacrilege but argued that the 2008 Act was originally meant to regulate printing and distribution of the holy scripture, making amendments to its framework ethically questionable.Despite the opposition, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann went ahead with the amendment after consultations with the Sant Samaj and convening a special Assembly session.