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- Complicating matters further, the Centre’s guidelines require the licence to be registered in the name of an individual, while the Sikh Gurdwara Act of 1925 prohibits the SGPC from procuring or subscribing to anything in an individual’s name.
- The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) may have set up a modern studio to broadcast Gurbani live from the Golden Temple, but its ambitious plan to launch a dedicated satellite channel remains caught in bureaucratic and legal hurdles.
- PTC is closely linked to the family of Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal, a long-time critic of the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab.
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) may have set up a modern studio to broadcast Gurbani live from the Golden Temple, but its ambitious plan to launch a dedicated satellite channel remains caught in bureaucratic and legal hurdles.
At present, the SGPC streams live Gurbani through its web channel and social media platforms, attracting more than 11 lakh subscribers and an estimated 40 lakh viewers. However, unlike several satellite channels run by Hindu, Jain, and Christian organisations, the Sikh body continues to rely on the PTC network for satellite telecast — and that too, without any financial benefit.
Legal and Financial Barriers
SGPC officials say the primary obstacle is securing the mandatory uplink and downlink licence from the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. “The licence fee is very high, and under our constitution, we cannot earn revenue through advertisements,” said Shahbaz Singh, additional secretary, SGPC.
Complicating matters further, the Centre’s guidelines require the licence to be registered in the name of an individual, while the Sikh Gurdwara Act of 1925 prohibits the SGPC from procuring or subscribing to anything in an individual’s name.
End of PTC Agreement and Growing Demand
Until last year, the SGPC earned revenue from an agreement with PTC’s parent company, G-Next Media Pvt Ltd, which had been telecasting live Gurbani since 2012. The deal fetched the SGPC around ₹2 crore annually, with a 10% yearly increment. However, following the passage of the Sikh Gurdwaras (Amendment) Bill, 2023, aimed at ending PTC’s “monopoly,” the agreement lapsed.
Now, PTC continues to broadcast Gurbani using SGPC’s feed — free of cost — as the committee lacks its own satellite infrastructure. PTC is closely linked to the family of Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal, a long-time critic of the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab.
Awaiting Centre’s Approval
The SGPC’s efforts to get direct satellite access have so far been unsuccessful. Its officials maintain that once the necessary approvals are granted, the committee can independently broadcast Gurbani worldwide, ensuring that the sacred hymns reach devotees without corporate or political interference.
For now, Sikh devotees across the globe must rely on either PTC’s telecast or SGPC’s online channels for a glimpse of the Golden Temple’s daily prayers.
