Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan today met the Sangat at the Samana Tower Morcha along with a delegation of MLAs. Addressing a large gathering of the Sangat at Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Chowk on this occasion, he announced that the Punjab Government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, will bring the draft of a stricter law by amending the ‘Jagat Jyot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar Act-2008’ and will present it at the Samana Morcha on April 14 after it is passed in the special Assembly session convened on April 13.
He said that he himself will hand over this draft to Bhai Gurjeet Singh Khalsa, who has been sitting atop the tower since October 2024. On this occasion, along with Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan were Aam Aadmi Party State General Secretary and Media In-charge Baltej Pannu, Baba Bhupinder Singh Rampur Kheda from the Sant Samaj, Chairman of the Assembly Select Committee Dr. Inderbir Singh Nijjar, Chetan Singh Jouramajra, Ajitpal Singh Kohli, Gurlal Ghanaur, Narinder Kaur Bharaj, Gurdev Singh Dev Mann, and Kulwant Singh Bazigar.
Earlier, in a meeting with Morcha leaders, Samana Morcha Coordinator Gurpreet Singh, Amitoj Singh Mann, Pushpinder Singh Kaka, Talwinder Singh Aulakh, Amarjeet Singh Maryada, and Kaka Singh Kotra were present. During this time, Bhai Gurjeet Singh Khalsa, who is sitting atop the tower, spoke to Speaker Sandhwan over the phone and thanked the Punjab Government for convening a special session to enact a strict anti-‘beadbi’ law.
He said that he would come down from the tower after the law is passed. Addressing the Sangat, Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan said that the Punjab Government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann is fully committed to ensuring that the proposed law includes strict punishments, heavy fines, confiscation of property, and also covers crimes committed through digital means.
He said that the draft of this law is being prepared after consultation with the Sant Samaj and legal experts. He stated that Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann had recently held a meeting with the Sant Samaj to inform them about the government’s intentions.
He thanked Sant Seva Singh Rampur Kheda for the cooperation of the Sant Samaj in bringing a historic anti-‘beadbi’ law. Speaker Sandhwan reiterated that the present Aam Aadmi Party government does not make false promises like previous governments, but believes in delivering results.
He said that the Punjab Government will not show any leniency towards those guilty of ‘beadbi’. The Sangat welcomed the announcement made by the Speaker. He said that the government does not want to link this law with other matters, but is bringing it by convening a special session on the auspicious occasion of Khalsa Sajna Diwas and after consulting the Sant Samaj and legal experts.
On this occasion, AAP State General Secretary and Media In-charge Baltej Pannu and Chairman of the Select Committee Dr. Inderbir Singh Nijjar said that no accused in ‘beadbi’ cases will be spared and exemplary punishment will be ensured for this heinous crime. For this, opinions will also be sought from leading lawyers across the country.
Baltej Pannu said that during the special session, necessary amendments will be made to the ‘Jagat Jyot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar Act-2008’ to make it stronger and more comprehensive so that ‘beadbi’ of Sri Guru Granth Sahib and other religious texts can be effectively prevented.
He said that under the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan and MLA Dr. Inderbir Singh Nijjar visited Samana today and also invited Bhai Gurjeet Singh Khalsa to end his protest and participate in the special session of the Assembly.
On this occasion, ADC Damanjeet Singh Mann, SP Vaibhav Chaudhary, SDM Richa Goyal, and DSP Fateh Singh Brar were also present.