Punjab Assembly clears AAP govt's bill for free telecast of Gurbani from Golden Temple
Currently, Gurbani is broadcast from the Sikh shrine by PTC, a private channel linked to the Shiromani Akali Dal's Badal family
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann
The Punjab Assembly on Tuesday passed the Sikh Gurdwaras (Amendment) Bill, 2023 to ensure free telecast of ‘Gurbani’ from the Golden Temple in Amritsar.
On Monday, the Punjab Cabinet had approved an amendment to the British-era Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925 to ensure free-to-air telecast of Gurbani from Amritsar’s Golden Temple.
Currently, Gurbani is broadcast from the Sikh shrine by PTC, a private channel linked to the Shiromani Akali Dal’s Badal family. Gurbani is the broadcast of hymns from Guru Granth Sahib.
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The Punjab CM also said the bill also has a clause that no channel airing Gurbani can run any ads half an hour before or after it airs, according to an NDTV report.
The PTC pays the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) – the apex religious body of the Sikhs which also administers the Harmandir Sahib- Rs 2 crore annually for this, the report added.
The SGPC had contested the move by the AAP-led Punjab government, saying the 1925 Act is a central legislation and can only be amended by Parliament.
However, CM Bhagwant Mann on Monday said the state government was fully competent to amend this Act. He reasoned that the Supreme Court had on the issue of a separate gurdwara committee for Haryana ruled that this Act was not an inter-state Act, but a state Act.
With inputs from agencies
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