Punjab Cabinet on Monday gave its nod to approve the proposal to amend The Sikh Gurdwara Act, 1925, to ensure “free telecast rights” of gurbani from the Golden Temple — a move that has led to a controversy with the state’s opposition parties targeting the Aam Aadmi Party-led State Government.
The proposed amendment, via an amendment Bill, will be tabled in the Vidhan Sabha on Tuesday, for discussion and passing. “The Sikh Gurdwaras (Amendment) Act, 2023, will pave the way for eliminating the undue control of ‘modern day masands’ over the free-to-air telecast of the sacred gurbani,” said the Chief Minister, while addressing the media after the Cabinet meeting.
The Chief Minister said that the Cabinet has approved to amend The Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925 and to insert Section 125 A in the Act thereby casting duty on the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) to ensure free to air live telecast of the holy gurbani from Sri Harmandir Sahib.
“This amendment has been made with the objective that the entire humanity is able to listen to and see the live telecast of holy gurbani free of cost. This move is aimed at ensuring that holy gurbani is not commercialized in any manner,” said the Chief Minister.
The Chief Minister said that this Act will be called the Sikh Gurdwaras (Amendment) Act, 2023, and will come into force on and with effect from the date of its publication in the Official Gazette.
“In the Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925, after section 125, section 125-A will be inserted for the live telecast of gurbani free of cost. The Act stipulates that it will be the duty of the Board to propagate the teachings of the Gurus by making uninterrupted (without any on screen running advertisements, commercials or distortion) live feed (audio or audio as well as video) of holy gurbani from Sri Harmandir Sahib available free of cost to all media houses, outlets, platforms, channels etc whoever wishes to broadcast it,” elaborated Mann.
At the same time, Mann refuted the SGPC’s claims that the Sikh Gurdwara Act, 1925, is a Central Act. “The said Act is a state Act,” said Mann while quoting a Supreme Court judgment in a case wherein the SGPC had challenged the Haryana Gurdwara Act.
“The State Government is fully competent to amend this Act as the Apex Court had already, through a judgment, ruled that this Act is not an inter-state Act,” said Mann.
Notably, the SGPC had opposed the move saying that the State Government has no right to make any amendment in the Act. SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami tweeted on Sunday, “Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann ji, don’t try to complicate religious affairs of the Sikhs. The governments have no right to interfere in Sikh affairs.”
“You are talking about adding a new section to the Sikh Gurdwaras Act by amending it. But it can only be done by the Centre and that too on the recommendation of the SGPC, a body elected by the Sikhs,” he added. Maryada (Sikh code of conduct) is paramount in the telecast of gurbani, he added.
Without naming the Badals, he said: “We all know the SGPC is in the control of a family. The family thought of setting up a TV channel and later thought of buying the exclusive rights to the telecast of gurbani from the Golden Temple. In 2012, the SGPC gave exclusive rights to PTC to broadcast gurbani.
“After I raised the matter last month, the SGPC has now floated tenders. Their agreement with PTC is coming to an end in July. That was the pressing need to bring the Bill in Vidhan Sabha. If we allow the tenders to be allotted again, they will again have an agreement with PTC for another 11 years. It is important to get the broadcast of gurbani freed,” he said.
Notably, a private news-cum-entertainment channel — PTC network — has had the broadcasting rights of gurbani which takes place at the Golden Temple. Since 1998, the Golden Temple has been broadcasting gurbani in the morning and the evening. As per reports, PTC network pays Rs two crore annually to the SGPC for the same.
“As people wish to listen to gurbani from Sri Harmandir Sahib, they have to subscribe to this channel. However, the package of this channel is given along with other channels which is too expensive and can’t be afford by the common man,” said Mann bemoaning that SGPC, which was constituted by Sikh Gurudwara Act-1925, was entrusted with the task of spreading the message of gurbani, but it has forgotten its duty while acting as a stooge in the hands of their master family.
Mann, who has been a vocal critic of the SGPC for extending rights to a single channel, had also offered to pay the expenses incurred in broadcasting the gurbani across all channels free of cost.
“As a humble and devotee Sikh, I am a votary of free to air telecast of the gurbani across the globe. How this is an attack on panth as I am just opposing the control of a particular channel over the telecast of gurbani, which is totally unwarranted and unjustified. This move is not aimed at giving rights to any particular channel of government or of any single individual but it is aimed at spreading the message of gurbani across the globe,” he said.
Opposition Parties React
Taking strong exception to the government’s move, the SAD spokesperson Daljit Singh Cheema alleged that the AAP Government was interfering in Sikhs’ religious matters. “Amending the Sikh Gurdwaras Act of 1925 is unconstitutional as it has been enacted by the Parliament…The decision taken on the directions of AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal will not be tolerated by the Sikhs,” he added.
Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira, lashing out at the Chief Minister Mann and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal, tweeted, “What a sad day for Sikhs as a government of @BhagwantMann consisting of no Amritdhari Sikh (Baptized) and run from Delhi by leaders like @ArvindKejriwal who himself claims to be an ardent follower of RSS ideology will now decide the fate of a martial community of Sikhs and their religious affairs (Sikh Gurudwara Act 1925) that our forefathers achieved after immense bloodshed and glorious sacrifices! I hope sense prevails on this breed of fake revolutionaries.”
However, Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu lauded the move. “Sarb Sanjhi Gurbaani… means for one and all with no discrimination …This was a cherished desires of millions of Sikhs across the globe, including me… commendable effort @BhagwantMann …Kudos.”