Within the Sikh tradition, the Rehat Maryada is regarded as a Panthic standard, not a text that any individual, local sangat, or single organization may alter at will. The authority to revise or clarify it rests with the collective Panth as represented through central institutions, especially the Akal Takht Sahib and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC). This reflects the deeper Sikh principle that matters of discipline and collective conduct are to be decided in the Guru’s presence through the consensus of the community, rather than through private initiative or factional preference.

When questions of amendment arise, proposals typically emerge from scholars, theologians, Panthic organizations, or representative Sikh bodies, and are then routed through the SGPC or directly to the Akal Takht. Committees of learned Sikhs, including scholars and religious authorities, are convened to study these proposals in the light of Gurmat, historical practice, and existing Panthic understanding. The process is intentionally deliberative and slow, emphasizing consultation, debate, and the search for broad consensus rather than simple majoritarian decision-making.

Once such a committee has completed its study, its recommendations are circulated among key Sikh institutions and leaders for further feedback, seeking as wide a Panthic agreement as possible. Only when a substantial consensus has emerged is the matter formally placed before the Jathedar of Akal Takht Sahib and other representative Sikh figures. At that stage, a decision is articulated in the name of the Panth, often through a formal directive from the Akal Takht, and the SGPC then incorporates the approved changes or clarifications into published versions of the Sikh Rehat Maryada.

This layered process—originating in scholarly and community input, passing through committee scrutiny, and culminating in Akal Takht–centered Panthic approval—embodies a spiritual discipline of collective humility before the Guru. The rarity of changes and the insistence on consensus serve to protect the integrity of the tradition while still allowing for careful clarification when genuinely needed.