Houses with liquor bars can’t have Guru Granth Sahib: Akal Takht

Amritsar, Punjab: The Akal Takht has ruled that Guru Granth Sahib cannot be kept in houses which have liquor bars or where tobacco or intoxicants are consumed.

“It has been decided that Guru Granth Sahib cannot be placed in a house or location where liquor bars and substances having ingredients such as tobacco, intoxicants and halal meat exist,” Akal Takht jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh said.

“In the Sikh religion, Guru Granth Sahib is treated as a living master and keeping it in houses with bars is no less than a direct disrespect to it,” Gurbachan said.

The jathedar said Guru Granth Sahib could not be even temporarily placed in houses with bars.

He said akhand path could only be organised in gurdwaras or houses with a hygienic atmosphere and not at roadside ‘samadhs’ or any other objectionable places.

“Any family or place where halal meat, hookah, charas, tobacco or any kind of intoxicants are consumed are strictly banned to organise akhand path of Guru Granth Sahib,” the jathedar said.

Akhand Path should be held either at homes or any place where Sikh ethics are strictly adhered to.

The jathedar also advised Sikhs to abstain from the consumption of intoxicants. The decision has been taken on suggestions from Sikh intellectuals, heads of Sikh religious bodies and Sikh scholars, the jathedar said. He said the directive would be valid all over the world.

“Violation of the directive will amount to religious punishment since it would be treated as a blasphemous act,” he said.

Source: HT