If the law being framed to prevent the sacrilege of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji is made in a hurry for political gain without considering its benefits and harms, then it will be a loss: Paramjit Singh Virji
Appeal to Sikh organizations to participate in large numbers in the April 6 meeting called by SGPC
New Delhi March 31 (Manpreet Singh Khalsa):- There have been intense emotional and political reactions around the enactment of a law in Punjab to define and punish "sacrilege of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji". Expressing these words, Sardar Paramjit Singh Virji, head of Gurubani Research Foundation and former co-chairman of the Dharam Prachar Wing of Delhi Gurdwara Committee, said that these feelings arise from true devotion. For Sikhs around the world, Guru Granth Sahib is not just a holy book, but also the manifested Guru, the embodiment of divine knowledge and the spiritual center of Sikhism. Yet the attempt to regulate its sanctity through legal statutes and judicial definitions raises a profound philosophical question: Can the Guru’s word really be protected or defined by law? The demand for a special law to protect the Sri Guru Granth Sahib is, on one level, understandable, given the deep anguish that arises whenever an act of sacrilege occurs. But from both constitutional and philosophical perspectives, such an additional code seems unnecessary. Since, under the framework of the Constitution, any act that deliberately offends or provokes religious sentiments, or incites violence against a community or its sacred symbols, already falls squarely within the realm of criminal law and public order. The law-and-order machinery of the state is fully empowered to investigate, prosecute and punish such offences. Making a separate law specifically for Sri Guru Granth Sahib creates the danger that the spiritual authority of the Sikh scripture somehow depends on the protective arm of the state or the courts. Sikhism, at its core, calls us towards knowledge, determination, compassion and truth. Sri Granth Sahib is a guide in that lifelong quest and does not need the boundaries of devotion, rules or judicial definitions. Its authority lies in the unwavering power of the word, which no law can stop. Therefore, we appeal to the Punjab Government to ensure that any law being made under any political pressure or in a hurry for its own political gain without considering the benefits and harms of this law, will only harm it. He said that it is therefore extremely important to share the information sought by the Shiromani Committee with the Select Committee of the Vidhan Sabha regarding the proposed bill in order to give suggestions sought from the Shiromani Committee, only after which the suggestions sought from the Shiromani Committee can be sent in a meaningful manner, but it is very unfortunate that the government deliberately does not provide the records/information sought by the Shiromani Committee through repeated letters. Finally, he has appealed to the Sikh organizations to participate in large numbers in the meeting on April 6 to discuss this matter on behalf of the SGPC
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