The Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of Sikh authority, has summoned a New York resident to Amritsar over the alleged unauthorised printing and distribution of saroops — sacred volumes — of Sri Guru Granth Sahib in the United States. The order was issued on Wednesday, November 11, on the directions of acting Jathedar Kuldip Singh Gargaj, the Akal Takht Secretariat said.
The man summoned is Jatinder Singh Sachdeva, a resident of New York. He has been directed to appear in person before the Akal Takht Secretariat in Amritsar by December 10, 2026, to explain his position.
Source: Akal Takht Secretariat via Jugti
What the Secretariat alleges
According to the Akal Takht Secretariat, complaints from the Sikh sangat abroad said Sachdeva had been printing and distributing saroops under the banner of an organisation called Ghar Ghar Andar Dharamsaal, without authorisation. The Secretariat says this violates the Akal Takht hukamnama of May 9, 1998, and could create divisions within the Panth. These are the Secretariat's allegations; Sachdeva's response has not been reported, and no U.S. court case is involved — this is a summons from a religious authority, not an American legal proceeding.
Sachdeva has been directed to stop printing saroops immediately and to submit full records of every copy printed and distributed so far, the Secretariat said.
Six others asked to explain in writing
In a separate order, the Akal Takht has sought written explanations within 15 days from six other U.S.-based individuals: Baba Sajjan Singh, Giani Bhupinder Singh, Jatinder Singh, Harbans Singh, Harcharan Singh and Gurdev Singh. The Tribune reports that complaints alleged they visited Sachdeva and publicly praised his initiative despite knowing the existing directions. That, too, is an allegation in the complaints, not a finding.
What the 1998 hukamnama says
The hukamnama of May 9, 1998, cited by the Akal Takht, says the authority to print and publish saroops of Sri Guru Granth Sahib rests exclusively with the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) in Amritsar, the Panth's representative body. Under that direction, only the SGPC may print and publish them.
For readers outside the faith: Sri Guru Granth Sahib is the central sacred scripture of Sikhism, treated not as an ordinary book but as the eternal Guru, and a saroop is handled under strict protocols of reverence wherever it is kept, carried or printed. That is why control over printing is such a sensitive question for the community — a wrongly produced or carelessly handled saroop is not a publishing error in Sikh eyes, but a matter of deep religious hurt.
Why this reaches New York
New York is home to one of the largest Sikh communities in the United States, centred on gurdwaras in Richmond Hill, Queens, and across the wider tri-state area. As the diaspora has grown, so has the demand in North America for saroops for gurdwaras and for homes — and with it, recurring disputes over who may produce them and under what supervision. The Akal Takht has intervened in similar printing disputes involving the diaspora before, including a past case involving the preparation of saroops in Canada.
The Secretariat says the complaints in this case came from the sangat abroad, which underlines the transnational nature of the issue: a printing operation in the United States, a religious direction issued from Amritsar, and a deadline for a New York resident to travel to Punjab and answer in person.
Everything the Secretariat has said about Sachdeva and the six others is an allegation in complaints it received. None of them has been reported to have answered yet. Their explanations — due within 15 days, and in person by December 10 — are the next step, not a conclusion.
What happens next
The six U.S.-based individuals must send their written explanations to the Secretariat within 15 days of the order. Sachdeva must present himself in Amritsar by December 10, 2026, with the printing stopped and the records handed over, as directed. What the Akal Takht does after hearing him — whether it accepts his explanation or issues further directions — will be the next development. Awaaz Punjab will update this story when a response from Sachdeva or a further Secretariat statement is reported.