"Formal permission for prosecution of the Dera head has been given," Punjab Principal Secretary (Home) B C Gupta told PTI in Chandigarh.

The permission followed a conditional non-bailable warrant of arrest issued against the Dera head by a court in Bhatinda on June 20 following a case filed by R Sidhu, president of district unit of a Sikh Sabha.

Issuing the warrant returnable on July one, the court had stipulated that the police seek the permission of the state government for prosecuting Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.

The sanction by the Punjab government came hours after the Akal Takht, the supreme temporal seat of Sikhs, rejected a fresh 'apology' by the Dera Sacha Sauda chief for allegedly denigrating Sikh Guru Gobind Singh.

Emerging from a meeting of Akal Takht, Jathedar Joginder Singh Vedanti told media persons that 'the fresh note received from Dera head neither accepts his sin nor promises not to repeat such act again.'

Asked whether the Akal Takht accepts or rejects the fresh apology by the head of the Sirsa-based sect, Vedanti said: "It is not an apology. It is a press note from the head of Dera Sacha Sauda without his signature."

Punjab Advocate General H S Matthelwal said the state government gave the go-ahead to arrest the Dera head because he was 'not cooperating' in the investigations.

He said the government had acted on the directive of the court and 'it is in good spirit of the law.'

Matthelwal expressed the hope that the Haryana government would cooperate in prosecuting the Dera head who is based in Sirsa in the neighbouring state.

Bhatinda SSP Naunihal Singh said he would act the moment he receives the state government's order to arrest the Dera head.