Chandigarh: The Punjab Cabinet on Monday approved an amendment in the Sikh Gurdwara Act of 1925 to make transmission of Gurbani from the Golden Temple "free for all".
The Bill would be brought up at the special session of the Assembly on Tuesday so that it could be talked about and passed.
The Sikhs' apex religious body, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, responded sharply to the news, demanding that the government stay out of religious affairs.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said the resolution to make transmission of Gurbani is a historic decision aimed at ensuring the free-to-air telecast of sacred Gurbani from Sri Harmandar Sahib in Amritsar.
He said that, according to the Sikh Gurdwara Amendment Act of 2023, Gurbani would be telecast free-to-air in India and other countries. He said that the broadcasters will have to make sure that no commercials are aired a half hour before and after a video or audio telecast of the Gurbani.
According to Mann, the Supreme Court made it clear in its 2014 decision that the Sikh Gurdwara Act of 1925 is not an inter-state Act but a state Act, refuting SGPC's claim that the state government has no power to change the Act.
He said that live broadcasting or live telecasting of Gurbani was not addressed in the 1925 Sikh Gurdwara Act.
He said that in 2012, it had been misused by allowing one TV channel owned by the Badal family to have exclusive rights to air the Gurbani for 11 years.
"As a result, Sikhs have to subscribe to this channel which is expensive as ita¿s clubbed with three to four other channels. It should be free of cost," he added.
Mann stated that the SGPC is currently arguing in favour of launching a tender for airing Gurbani; nonetheless, it is possible that the Badal family would once again obtain the exclusive rights through the tender process.
SGPC chief Harjinder Singh Dhami responded to the Cabinet decision by saying, "This (Gurdwara Act) can only be amended by the Centre as the Punjab government has got not right to do so."—Inputs from Agencies