A day after the Akal Takht, the highest temporal body of Sikhs, pronounced religious punishment for Sukhbir Singh Badal and other leaders for “mistakes” committed by the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) government in Punjab from 2007 to 2017, the party chief started his religious sentence by standing guard outside the Golden Temple in Amritsar on Tuesday. Former Rajya Sabha MP Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa was also made to stand guard. Badal and other Akali Dal leaders, including former Cabinet ministers, were ordered to clean toilets, serve in the community kitchen, perform Nitnem (daily Sikh prayers), and recite the Sukhmani Sahib. However, Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh allowed Badal to stand guard with a spear in hand as the SAD leader’s leg had a fracture. Dhindsa was also allowed to do the same instead of cleaning toilets. The two are to serve as gatekeepers for two days, wearing traditional servant attire and holding spears as a mark of humility.