MH Places New 'Hazur Sahib Bill' in Abeyance; Nihangs Released on Bail

June

2026

The Maharashtra (MH) cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on 24 Jun, approved the proposal to repeal the 70-year-old Nanded Sikh Gurdwara Sachkhand Sri Hazur Abchalnagar Sahib Act, 1956. The MH government said the older law will be replaced with a new law as soon as it gets legal clearance and approval of the MH cabinet. Takht Sri Hazur Sahib (Throne, HS) is one of the top five Takhts (Thrones) of the Sikhs. As per the MH government's previous amendment in 2024—which was later repealed—the changes to the composition of the HS management board include: allowing MH government to directly nominate 12 of 17 members, electing three Sikhs from MH, reducing members sent by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) from four to two, abolishing nominations by the Chief Khalsa Diwan, Hazuri Sachkhand Diwan (traditional organizations), and membership of two Sikh Members of Parliament. These changes would have meant that the MH government would be in total control of HS. However, after protests from the HS Panj Piare (five loved ones), Sri Akal Takht Sahib (Eternal Throne), the Sikh apex management body SGPC, and various Sikh bodies, the MH government announced that it is placing the new Bill in abeyance and will constitute a committee to consult with stakeholders, and Sikh scholars before piloting the new Bill. Panjab Bharatiya Janata Party president Kewal Singh Dhillon thanked MH leaders and said, HS is not merely an institution but a 'living symbol of Sikh faith, sovereignty, and heritage, revered by Sikhs across the globe'. Meanwhile, on 27 Jun, the four Nihangs (traditional warriors)—Satvinder Singh, Ajay Singh, Jasanpreet Singh, and Manpreet Singh—who were lodged in judicial custody in connection with an assault case in Karnaprayag, Chamoli district in Uttarakhand were granted bail by the District and Sessions Court. The bail has eased the standoff between the Nihangs and the Uttarakhand police outside Dehradun, Uttarakhand, and at Paonta Sahib, Himachal Pradesh. While the episode largely took on a religious color, one of the reasons for animosity among locals on the pilgrim route to Gurdwara Hemkund Sahib is also economic—the Sikh langars (community kitchens) affecting the restaurant and hotel businesses, which is why locals damaged the langar facilities (earlier coverage).