Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal has demanded that Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann be booked under the new anti-sacrilege law introduced by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in May this year.
Emergency Core Committee Meeting
Badal, who called an emergency core committee meeting at the party office today, said that besides alleged sacrilege, Mann had also committed an extremely profane act by challenging the authority of the Akal Takht. “It is a very serious issue and the biggest attack by the ruling AAP government on Akal Takht Sahib,” Badal stated.
He emphasized that every Sikh is liable to abide by the directions of Sri Akal Takht Sahib. The SAD chief added, “We have called an emergency meeting to discuss the developing situation. After what has transpired, Mann has no moral authority left to remain CM. Mann should be booked under the same law for sacrilege introduced by their government.”
Mann's Response to Akal Takht Declaration
After Akal Takht Jathedar Kuldip Singh Gargaj pronounced the Punjab Chief Minister “Guru Dokhi” on Monday and “Panth Virodhi”, a defiant Bhagwant Singh Mann said on Tuesday that the person in the controversial video was not him.
Mann, in a video statement, said that though he had the utmost respect and reverence for Akal Takht Sahib, the present-day officials, who were political appointees, were serving their political masters by making baseless allegations against him. “A false narrative is being created against me because the political bosses of the Akal Takht management want to defame me,” he said.
New Anti-Sacrilege Law
The newly introduced Jagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Act, 2026 strengthens protections for the sanctity of the Guru Granth Sahib. The Act prescribes life imprisonment for anyone found guilty of intentionally desecrating the saroop.
This development marks a significant escalation in the ongoing political controversy surrounding the Punjab Chief Minister, with the SAD calling for legal action under the very law enacted by Mann's own government.
