In a significant development in the long-pending case of the disappearance of 328 sacred saroops of Sri Guru Granth Sahib, a local court on Saturday dismissed the anticipatory bail pleas of nine accused, signalling that the investigation has begun to gather legal momentum. District attorney Amritpal Singh Khehra, appearing for the prosecution, confirmed that the court rejected the petitions filed by the accused, clearing the way for custodial questioning if required.
The dismissal of the bail pleas comes days after the Punjab Police registered the first FIR in the case, more than nine and a half years after the irregularities were first detected. A case was registered on December 7 under Sections 295 (injuring or defiling a place of worship or sacred object with intent to insult a religion), 295-A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings), 409 (criminal breach of trust), 465 (forgery) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC. As many as 16 persons, the majority of them ex-employees of the SGPC, were booked by the police on the basis of a complaint registered by the sacked Golden Temple Hazuri Raagi Bhai Baldev Singh Wadala. Bhai Wadala has been doing sit-in protest in Amritsar Heritage street over this issue.
The case has been registered after Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan, Cabinet Minister Harjot Singh Bains visited the dharna site when the FIR was lodged. The accused were the same as indicted by the Akal Takht panel.
On the basis of an inquiry report prepared by a panel led by senior advocate Ishar Singh of the Telangana High Court. The panel had been constituted by the Akal Takht.
For the first time since the irregularities surfaced in 2016, an FIR has been registered, naming 16 employees of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, bringing the long-suppressed case into the ambit of a police investigation.
The FIR, registered during the tenure of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, marks a decisive break from years of inaction under three successive governments. From the Badal regime to the Amarinder Singh and Charanjit Singh Channi administrations, the case remained confined to internal reviews, committees and reports, even as religious organisations repeatedly demanded criminal accountability.
2016: Case surfaces under Badal government
The controversy first came to light in 2016 during the tenure of then chief minister Prakash Singh Badal. Following the retirement of a senior official in the SGPC’s publication department, an internal scrutiny of records was initiated. During this process, it was discovered that several saroops had been issued without proper documentation.
Initial findings suggested that at least 267 saroops were unaccounted for. Registers were found to be incomplete, with several entries either missing or unsigned. There were also indications that saroops had been distributed without written approval or proper receipts, raising serious questions about procedural compliance within the publication wing.
Despite the sensitivity of the issue, no police complaint was filed at the time. The SGPC maintained that the matter involved administrative lapses rather than criminal intent. Critics, however, accused the committee of attempting to downplay the issue to prevent wider scrutiny.
2017–2019: Amarinder Singh government, pressure without progress
When the Congress government led by Amarinder Singh took office in 2017, Sikh organisations renewed demands for a police investigation. Several delegations approached the state government, arguing that the disappearance of such a large number of sacred saroops could not be dismissed as clerical negligence.
While the government convened internal meetings and sought explanations from the SGPC, the case was never formally handed over to the police. The SGPC acknowledged irregularities but consistently resisted the registration of an FIR, reiterating its position that the saroops were not “missing” but “irregularly distributed”.
During this period, the number of unaccounted saroops continued to rise as further examination of records took place. The lack of decisive action fuelled discontent among religious groups, who accused both the government and the SGPC of shielding those responsible.
2020: Akal Takht probe brings major findings
A major turning point came in 2020, when a special committee appointed by the Akal Takht conducted a detailed inquiry into the publication department’s functioning. The committee’s report significantly altered the narrative around the case.
The probe fixed the total number of missing saroops at 328, far higher than earlier estimates. It concluded that at least 186 saroops had been issued without any authorisation. The report pointed to years of systemic irregularities, including non-maintenance of registers, absence of oversight, and violations of established procedures governing the issuance of saroops.
The committee described the lapses as serious and recommended criminal action, including the registration of FIRs. Following the report, protests intensified in Amritsar, with Sikh organisations staging demonstrations near the Golden Temple and accusing the SGPC of failing in its custodial responsibility.
Despite the strong findings, the recommendations were not acted upon. No FIR was registered, and the matter once again slipped into administrative limbo.
2021: Channi government, hopes fade amid political churn
In 2021, with Charanjit Singh Channi assuming office as chief minister, there was renewed hope among protesters that the case would finally move forward. However, Channi’s short tenure, coupled with political instability and an impending election cycle, meant the issue did not receive sustained attention.
Religious groups resumed sit-ins and accused the SGPC of protecting erring officials. They also alleged political patronage and interference. Yet, despite mounting pressure, the government did not approve a police investigation.
By the end of 2021, the case had already remained unresolved for over five years, reinforcing public perception that successive governments were reluctant to act on an issue involving powerful religious institutions.
2022: AAP government reopens files
After the Aam Aadmi Party came to power in 2022, Sikh bodies and civil society groups once again approached the new government with memoranda demanding action. The Mann government reopened old files and sought legal opinion from the police on whether a criminal case could be registered based on existing material.
Officials maintained that the government was examining records and assessing the legal implications. However, no immediate action followed, leading to criticism that even the new dispensation was dragging its feet.
2025: FIR finally registered after nine and a half years
In 2025, more than nine years after the issue first surfaced, the Punjab Police registered an FIR, naming 16 SGPC employees. The charges include unauthorised issuance of saroops, distribution outside official records, and tampering with registers.
This is the first time the case has entered the formal criminal justice process. Officials said the FIR was based on documentary evidence and earlier inquiry reports, including the Akal Takht committee’s findings.
SGPC response and political implications
The SGPC has objected to the FIR, arguing that internal action had already been taken against employees and that police involvement amounts to interference in religious affairs. It has maintained that the case does not involve sacrilege but administrative misconduct.
However, religious circles argue that the scale of irregularities rules out mere departmental lapses. They contend that the issuance of hundreds of saroops without documentation could not have occurred without higher-level approval.
With the FIR now registered, attention has shifted to the investigation’s direction. Police questioning of the named employees is expected to focus on who authorised the issuance of the saroops and whether the acts were isolated or part of a coordinated system.
If evidence emerges of instructions from senior SGPC officials or political influence during the 2016–17 period, the probe could widen significantly. Such a development would elevate the case beyond an administrative controversy, potentially impacting religious institutions and Punjab’s political landscape.
For now, the FIR has broken a silence that lasted nearly a decade. Whether it leads to full accountability remains to be seen, but for many, it marks the first tangible step towards justice in a case that has long tested public faith in institutions.