M A I N   N E W S

Salary of 489 SGPC men withheld
Tribune News Service

AMRITSAR, Dec 20 — The Sikh Gurdwara Judicial Commission today withheld payment of salaries to as many as 489 SGPC employees who were employed during the presidentship of Bibi Jagir Kaur against bylaws of the Gurdwara Act. However, the judicial commission directed the SGPC to give salaries to them up to today for the work done by them.

With this order, the removal of these employees is likely as they would not be paid salaries from today onward.

The orders have been passed by Mr Manmohan Singh Brar, Chairman, Mr Amrik Singh Randhawa and Mr Ajwant Singh Mann, both members of the judicial commission, on the application moved by Mr Hardev Singh against Bibi Jagir Kaur. The next date for hearing of the main case has been fixed for January 11, 2001.

After accepting the application, the panel of the judicial commission pronounced that the orders for the appointment of the employees were void ab initio which were issued without following the proper procedure.

The petitioner had alleged the appointments were made by the respondent (Bibi Jagir Kaur) through the back door as the posts were not advertised as required by the SGPC bylaws.

The petitioner had alleged as many as 346 persons had joined the SGPC in gurdwaras under Section 85 of the Sikh Gurdwara Act, 1925, between March 16, 1999, and October 31, 1999. Among them 212 joined as sewadars, 43 as helpers, 35 as clerks, 15 as granthis, eight as raagis, nine as assistant raagis, officer on special duty, driver, media director and dental doctor. As many as 14 had been recruited in gurdwaras under Section 87 of the Sikh Gurdwara Act, 1925, 63 persons had been appointed in gurdwaras under Section 85 and 84 in category A and 62 in category B under Section 87. Hence, the respondents have committed acts of “malfeasance, misfeasance, breach of trust, neglect of duty, abuse of power in making the appointment that are inconsistent with the provisions of the Sikh Gurdwara Act and the service rules framed by the SGPC”.