The Sikh Gurdwaras (Amendment) Bill, 2023 was approved by the Punjab Assembly on Tuesday in order to guarantee free telecast of ‘Gurbani’ from the Sri Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) in Amritsar. The Bill sought to eliminate the need for a tender and make ‘Gurbani’ telecast and television broadcasts free to all.
Sikhs frequently refer to the different works by the Sikh Gurus and other authors of the Guru Granth Sahib as ‘gurbani.’ The British-era Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925 was modified on Monday by the Punjab Cabinet to ensure free-to-air telecast of Gurbani from Amritsar’s Golden Temple.
The measure aims to abolish the monopoly of transmission rights held by Badal-owned TV channel. The Sikh Gurdwaras (Amendment) Act, 2023 will make it possible to end the excessive control of preachers, also known as Masands.
This modification adds Section 125A to the Act, which gives the SGPC responsibility for ensuring free-to-air live telecast of Gurbani from the Golden Temple. Currently, PTC, a private channel frequently connected to the Badal family of the Shiromani Akali Dal, broadcasts Gurbani from the Sikh shrine.
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the highest-ranking Sikh religious authority, has objected to the Punjab government’s decision, arguing that the 1925 Act is a piece of federal legislation that can only be changed by Parliament.
The state administration is completely capable of amending this Act, according to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who stated this on Monday. He said that the Supreme Court had determined that this Act was a state Act rather than an interstate Act when it came to the creation of a separate gurdwara committee for Haryana.
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