Amritsar, May 9 -- The Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of the Sikhs, on Friday formally rejected the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Act, 2026 - the recently enacted anti-sacrilege legislation by the AAP government in Punjab. Following an appearance by Punjab assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan before acting jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj and Takht Damdama Sahib jathedar Giani Tek Singh Dhanaula, the clergy issued a stern 15-day ultimatum to the state government to repeal the legislation. The jathedar made it clear that the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) will not comply with the Act's requirement to upload records of Guru Granth Sahib 'saroops (copies)' to a government-monitored website. He asserted that religious records and the management of the living Guru's sanctity remain the exclusive domain of the Panth (Sikh community) and cannot be subjected to state-mandated digital surveillance. Speaking after his appearance at the Golden Temple complex, Sandhwan said he tried to assuage the clergy's apprehensioins about the new law. "I cannot disclose much about the conversation," Sandhwan said, "but I conveyed that we are committed to the Panth and will act according to its sentiments. What we have already done was according to the sentiments of the Panth." Responding to claims that the SGPC was not consulted over tje law, Sandhwan said, "Nothing is like that. We got an advertisement published in the newspapers and sought suggestions before the legislation."P4...