The Punjab government is set to amend the Sikh Gurdwara Act to ‘ensure free telecast rights’ of Gurbani from the Golden Temple at a cabinet meeting on Monday. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said the government would amend the Sikh Gurdwara Act, 1925, to ensure free telecast rights of Gurbani from the Golden Temple.
Reacting to the move, the SGPC asked the government not to interfere in religious matters. SGPC chief Harjinder Singh Dhami at a press conference on Monday slammed the chief minister for interfering in the Sikh affairs.
Mann said, “The agenda for the resolution will be cleared at a cabinet meeting on Monday and the resolution will be tabled in the Assembly during the special session on June 20.”
A statement said, “In a historic decision aimed at ensuring the free-to-air telecast of the sacred Gurbani from Sri Harmandar Sahib, Amritsar, the Punjab government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann will amend the Sikh Gurdwara Act, 1925.” Mann claimed that the decision is in keeping with the feelings of the Sikhs across the globe. Mann said the Gurbani should be telecast free of cost rather than confining it to a single channel. He said the move would offer an opportunity to the ‘sangat’ to listen to Gurbani while sitting at home even in foreign countries.Currently, the Gurbani is telecast by a private TV channel.
