Maharashtra clears repeal of the 1956 Hazur Sahib Act, then puts it on hold

Who: The Maharashtra cabinet under Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, with Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule; the caretakers of Takht Sri Hazur Sahib, Nanded, and its Jathedar Giani Kulwant Singh; the SGPC and the Akal Takht; and SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal. BJP leaders from Punjab and Delhi, among them RP Singh, pressed the state to step back.

What: Reports dated 24 June 2026 said the cabinet had approved repealing the Nanded Sikh Gurdwara Sachkhand Sri Hazur Abchalnagar Sahib Act, 1956, and replacing it with a Takht Sachkhand Sri Hazur Abchalnagar Sahib Gurdwara Act, to be finalised with the Law and Justice Department and tabled in the monsoon session. Bawankule said several provisions were outdated, pilgrim numbers had grown, and a new law would make administration more transparent, accountable and efficient; the proposal drew on the recommendations of a panel headed by retired Justice Bhatia. The Takht's caretakers pronounced a gurmata, read by Singh Sahib Giani Ram Singh before the Panj Pyare and senior clergy, rejecting the repeal and asking that the 1956 Act stay. Sukhbir Badal asked Fadnavis to withdraw the proposal, and the SGPC and Akal Takht opposed it. On 25 June RP Singh met Fadnavis, who agreed to form a panel and consult Sikh stakeholders. On Tuesday 30 June the government put the draft on hold and formed a committee of senior revenue officials and the Nanded Collector to hear Sikh clergy and community leaders. Bawankule said the gurdwara would continue to be managed solely by the Sikh community and the bill would not be tabled in that session.

Where: Nanded, Maharashtra, where Guru Gobind Singh passed the Guruship to the Guru Granth Sahib in 1708.

Why it mattered: The state has tried to change the Takht's board before. In 2018 a plan to add six government members was withdrawn after protests, and in 2019 plans to raise state representation were dropped. In August 2023 a non-Sikh Nanded collector was named administrator, then replaced after SGPC objections. In February 2024 an amendment would have let the state nominate 12 of 17 board members, cut SGPC nominees from four to two and removed the Chief Khalsa Diwan, the Hazuri Sachkhand Diwan and two Sikh MPs; Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh called it "a deliberate attempt to take the direct control of the historic Sikh Shrine", and it was later rolled back after SGPC-led protests. The 1956 Act dates from the former Hyderabad government's time. The June 2026 hold is a pause for consultation, not a withdrawal: the committee is to prepare a revised draft after hearing Sikh stakeholders, and the reports reviewed show no revised draft yet.