CM Bhagwant Mann to meet AAP MLAs ahead of their appearance before Akal Takht

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann will hold a meeting with AAP MLAs in Amritsar on Sunday, party sources have said. The meeting comes ahead of June 29, when all Sikh MLAs and ministers from Punjab have been asked to appear before the Akal Takht in connection with the anti-sacrilege law. At the meeting, the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is likely to decide its course of action in view of the Akal Takht's directions, the sources said. AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal is also expected to attend the meeting, they added. Kejriwal arrived in Amritsar on Saturday. Kejriwal, along with Mann, was scheduled to attend a devotional programme -- "Ek Shaam Bhagwan Shiv De Naam" -- in Amritsar on Saturday evening. The programme will also be held in Gurdaspur and Batala on Sunday and Monday respectively.

Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Kuldip Singh Gargajj on June 15 summoned all Sikh MLAs, regardless of party affiliation, and Sikh ministers before the Akal Takht on June 29 regarding the anti-sacrilege law. Non-Sikh cabinet ministers have been asked to submit their views in writing on the matter before June 29. However, the chief minister has not been summoned. Mann was declared "Guru Dokhi" (anti-Guru) and "Khalsa Panth Virodhi" (anti-Khalsa Panth) over a controversial video. Several Sikh MLAs of other parties have already confirmed that they would appear before the Akal Takht. The Akal Takht and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) had raised objections to the anti-sacrilege law -- Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Act, 2026 -- saying it was enacted without consulting the Sikh Panth.

The Akal Takht, the supreme temporal body of Sikhs, had earlier asked the Punjab government to remove the provisions from the anti-sacrilege law that are "against the Guru Granth Sahib, the Khalsa Panth and the sentiments of the 'Sangat' (Sikh community)". Gargajj had earlier said the Akal Takht Sahib has no objection to strict punishment being awarded to those guilty of committing sacrilege. However, the provisions inserted into the law place the Guru Granth Sahib, Sikh sentiments and concerns related to the Guru Sahib, the internal administrative system of Sikhs, the SGPC, Sikh Sangat, granthis, pathis, gurdwara committees and other sewadars within a legal framework in the manner of "accused persons", which amounts to direct government interference in Sikh affairs, he had said. He had also said making public on the SGPC's website information regarding who have the "sacred birs" of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib is highly objectionable because it would expose personal information of devout Sikhs, which could be misused by anti-Sikh forces and mischievous elements.

Gargajj had, on June 15, said Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan was summoned on May 8 and given 15 days to make amendments to the law in accordance with Sikh sentiments. Through him, written objections from the Akal Takht were also formally conveyed to the state government on May 11.

However, the government adopted an obstinate and arrogant attitude, completely ignoring the Akal Takht and Sikh sentiments, the jathedar had then said. Mann, through his statements to the media, have challenged the authority of the Akal Takht, triggering widespread resentment among Sikhs. This has created an atmosphere of discord and internal conflict among Sikhs in Punjab, Gargajj had said. The Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Bill was unanimously passed by the Assembly on April 13. It includes a provision for stricter punishment, including life imprisonment, for any act of sacrilege against the Guru Granth Sahib.