Akal Takht gives Punjab 15 days to rethink anti-sacrilege law
Punjab's new anti-sacrilege law, which gives 7 to 20 years for offenses against the Guru Granth Sahib and 10 years' imprisonment, extendable up to life imprisonment, along with a fine for conspiracy involving intent to disrupt peace or communal harmony, is facing serious pushback from the Akal Takht.
The top Sikh authority says parts of the law clash with Sikh values and could be misused, and Jathedar Giani Kuldip Singh Gargajj has given the government 15 days to rethink things.
SGPC excluded, Mann starts Shukrana Yatra
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) is also upset that it was not consulted before the law passed.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has started a Shukrana Yatra, basically a thank-you tour, to rally support.
All this is happening as old sacrilege cases from 2015 remain unresolved, fueling political drama: SGPC's president initially welcomed the law, Akali Dal leaders are mostly quiet, and Mann seems to be reaching out to Sikh voices critical of Akali Dal to strengthen his party's hand.