In a reprieve for the embattled head of Dera Sacha Sauda, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the Punjab and Haryana high court on Friday granted him interim bail till August 6 in a case related to hurting religious sentiments of Sikhs.

But the court asked the sect chief to submit his passport with it.

Justice L N Mittal pronounced the order after hearing an application moved by the Dera seeking anticipatory bail as the case against the sect chief was "politically motivated".

In his contention, the counsel for Dera argued that "he (Dera chief) has done nothing with an intention to hurt religious feelings of Sikhs."

Dera had moved the high court earlier in the day seeking quashing of the Bhatinda court's non-bailable arrest warrant against Singh.

The Court of Justice A L Kitchi in Bathinda had handed over the non-bailable arrest warrants to Punjab police after it submitted the draft of formal sanction by the state government before it as per the court directive on June 20.

Reacting on the high court's directive, Bathinda police chief Naunihal Singh told PTI that "police is awaiting detailed orders of the high court and once they get them, it will act accordingly".

Issuing the warrant returnable on July 1, the Bhatinda court had stipulated that the police seek the permission of the state government.

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

The Dera chief had invited the ire of Akal Takhat for allegedly dressing like Sikh Guru Gobind Singh and his action sparked violent protest by Sikhs across Punjab.