AMRITSAR, July 2 -- Akal Takht acting jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj on Wednesday reiterated his demand for the inclusion of a provision in the recently enacted Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Act, 2026, under which the head of a dera deemed anti-Sikh would also face legal action if a follower or an associate commits sacrilege. He first raised the issue on Monday when 87 Punjab legislators, including the members of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), appeared before the Sikh clergy to explain the lack of wider community consultation before the Bill's passage in April. His fresh remarks come days after Akal Takht gave the government a one-month ultimatum to remove objectionable clauses from the recently enacted anti-sacrilege Act. Passed by the Punjab assembly on April 13 and subsequently assented to by the governor, the new law amends the 2008 principal Act to provide for a term of up to life imprisonment and fines up to Rs.20 lakh for criminal conspiracy in desecrating the "saroop" of Guru Granth Sahib. In a communique, Giani Gargaj said the law should not be limited to the offender alone, but should extend to the root causes of the offence. "The biggest shortcoming of the law is that it addresses the act of sacrilege but fails to confront the factors that give rise to such acts. It also opens the door for interference in the internal religious affairs of the Sikh community, which cannot be accepted," the jathedar said. Referring to past sacrilege cases allegedly involving followers of Dera Sacha Sauda, the jathedar said the law should also take into account that those carrying out such acts are often "pawns, acting under the influence of others." "This issue is not confined to Dera Sacha Sauda alone. There are several groups and deras that harbour hostility toward Sikhs. We are not seeking to name any specific organisation. However, the law should clearly provide that if a member of any anti-Sikh dera or group commits sacrilege, and the complainant identifies the head of that dera or group in the complaint, then the leader of that organisation should also be named in the first information report (FIR). A transparent and impartial investigation into such allegations should also be made mandatory," he added. "Such a provision would deter leaders of these groups or deras from influencing their followers to commit such acts. Without it, the law will fail to effectively prevent acts of sacrilege", the jathedar said....