Amid facing criticism of establishing a ‘monopoly’ on Gurbani telecast from the Golden Temple, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) seems to be on the backfoot from its earlier stand of reserving its ‘exclusive rights’ for the same.The sacred hymns of Gurbani from the Golden Temple have been reaching countless homes worldwide on different platforms. Earlier, the SGPC had prohibited the relay or restreaming of Gurbani without obtaining authorization. SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami, while launching a YouTube channel on July 14, 2023, had stated that ‘all the rights of Gurbani broadcast will be reserved with the SGPC only, and no channel, YouTube channel, website, or social media platform will be able to broadcast Gurbani at their own will’.Yet, now the SGPC appears to have adopted a ‘liberal’ approach. From this morning, GTC Punjabi has started beaming Gurbani’s live transmission from the Sikhs’ holiest Shrine in Amritsar twice daily – the morning transmission from 03:15 am to 7:30 am and the evening transmission between 4 pm to 6 pm.Confirming the development, Dr Rabindra Narayan, the founder and managing director of GTC Network and a pioneer of Punjabi satellite television, said the signal is being sourced through SGPC’s YouTube channel and is being transmitted globally through its satellite and other digital platforms.In response to AAP MLA Dr Inderbir Singh Nijjar’s allegations of SGPC and Akalis’ monopoly on Gurbani telecast rights, while addressing mediapersons on the sidelines of the Vidhan Sabha session yesterday, the SGPC member and spokesperson Advocate Bhagwant Singh Sialka and Shiromani Akali Dal spokesperson Advocate Arshdeep Singh Kler had ‘clarified’ that the ‘telecast link’ was open for anyone to re-transmit Gurbani on SGPC’s YouTube channel. Dr Narayan said that soon after their statements, the GTC Network also picked up the link and started the live stream of Gurbani from this morning.“We have informed the SGPC about it in writing for ‘intimation’ to avoid any conflict later on,” he said. Reports suggest that around 1000 other digital platforms have also surfaced which have been relaying the live telecast of Gurbani on their respective platforms.”We never knew that it was open for any channel to restream Gurbani. Today, I noticed around 973 platforms had shared the live telecast through SGPC’s YouTube channel link. But, it was a positive signal. We are deeply grateful to the SGPC for opening this opportunity to play a humble part in this sacred service. For us, this is not an achievement but a moment of the Guru’s grace and blessing that we have become a medium to convey the spiritual message to the Sangat,” he said.At present, the SGPC streams Gurbani through its YouTube channel, “SGPC Sri Amritsar”, three times daily and also provides extended coverage through Facebook, its official website, and an Apple application. However, in the absence of its own satellite channel, it has continued to depend on infrastructure operated by the PTC Network, owned by Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal. Widely regarded as one of the pioneers of Punjabi satellite broadcasting, Dr Narayan, former MD of PTC Network, has been associated with Gurbani telecasts since 1998. He parted ways with the PTC Network in August 2025 before launching the GTC Network. Political and Panthic backdrop The question of Gurbani telecast rights has remained politically contentious in Punjab. The issue gained renewed prominence after the Aam Aadmi Party-led Punjab Government enacted the Sikh Gurdwaras (Amendment) Bill, 2023, aimed at ending what it termed a monopoly over Gurbani broadcasts.Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had also offered logistical support for Gurbani telecasting, a proposal that was turned down by the SGPC. On April 8, 2023, the then acting Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh had directed the SGPC to work towards launching its own Gurbani channel. Until such a channel became operational, the SGPC was advised to continue Gurbani dissemination through its digital platforms. Giani Harpreet Singh, who now leads a breakaway faction of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Punarsurjit), has publicly endorsed Dr Narayan’s proposal and urged the SGPC to make use of the opportunity in the larger interest of the Sikh community.