NEW DELHI- Delhi Akali chief Paramjit Singh Sarna has strongly opposed any fresh legislation on incidents of sacrilege involving the Sri Guru Granth Sahib, cautioning that such moves risk reducing a deeply spiritual matter into a tool of political calculation if not carried out under religious guidance.
In a sharply worded statement, Sarna said the renewed push for stricter laws raises serious questions about intent rather than offering any meaningful solution. “The issue is not the absence of law, but the absence of moral clarity and accountability, ” he said, adding that repeated attempts to legislate on the matter suggest a pattern of political manoeuvring rather than genuine concern for Sikh sentiments.
Sarna went further, alleging that elements linked to the Aam Aadmi Party were involved in past sacrilege incidents in Punjab. According to him, these incidents created a charged environment that ultimately benefited Arvind Kejriwal’s party in its rise to power in the state. “It is becoming increasingly evident that these painful incidents were not isolated acts, but part of a larger design to shape political outcomes, ” he claimed.
Sarna pointed out that no key perpetrator has been conclusively prosecuted by the AAP government in the 2015 sacrilege cases. “What prevented Arvind Kejriwal from ordering Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to launch concrete prosecution against the Sirsa Saadh, Ram Raheem?” Sarna asked. “Clearly, Kejriwal and that convicted criminal had struck a political deal.”
Referring to the proposed anti-sacrilege legislation, Sarna emphasised that any law touching upon Sikh religious doctrine, Gurbani, or Sri Guru Granth Sahib must not be framed without the consent of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), which he described as the legitimate custodian of Sikh religious affairs. “No government, irrespective of its mandate, has the authority to unilaterally legislate on matters that define the spiritual core of the Sikh faith, ” Sarna asserted.
Any such measure, he added, must also be carried out under the supervision of the Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht Sahib, the highest temporal authority of the Sikhs.
Sarna also proposed the formation of a committee comprising leading Sikh academics, legal luminaries, and retired judges to examine the issue in depth. He said such a body should function under the direct supervision of the Akal Takht Jathedar to ensure that no aspect of the matter is overlooked and that any course of action remains grounded in both legal rigour and Sikh maryada.