M A I N   N E W S

High Priests violate maryada
Meeting held without Giani Puran Singh
Varinder Walia
Tribune News Service

Amritsar, February 27
Even as Giani Puran Singh, Head Granthi of the Golden Temple categorically refused to attend the meeting, the five High Priests today held a meeting at Akal Takht in gross violation of the maryada.

The meeting of the High Priests which could not be held since the appointment of Giani Puran Singh in December last year as Head Granthi (Golden Temple), today pronounced “tankhah” in the case of Giani Rattan Singh Girn, a Canada-based Sikh who was excommunicated from the Sikh Panth by the then Akal Takht Jathedar, Bhai Ranjit Singh, on June 25, 1998, for violating a hukmnama on the langar issue.

Six Canadian Sikhs, including Giani Harkirat Singh, Mr Balwant Singh, Mr Tara Singh, Editor, Indo-Canadian Times, Mr Jarnail Singh and Mr Kashmir Singh, were excommunicated for violating the edict on langar.

Giani Rattan Singh Girn is the first Canadian Sikh to have approached Akal Takht for rejoining the Panth.

Earlier, the High Priests, including Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti, Giani Mohan Singh, Prof Manjit Singh, Giani Bhagwan Singh and Giani Kewal Singh had amended the hukmnama on langar issued on October 24 wherein the handicapped were allowed to use chairs while partaking of the langar. This was for the first time that any hukmnama had been amended.

Before rejoining the Sikh Panth, Giani Rattan Singh Girn will have to listen to “kirtan” for an hour, dust shoes at a gurdwara and clean utensils for a week as part of the “tankhah”. After completing a “tankhah”, he will have to offer “karah parsad” of Rs 500 at the Golden Temple and Akal Takht.

Pronouncing the “tankhah”, Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti said Giani Girn had given in writing that he would continue to honour the authority of Akal Takht. He said the written undertaking of Giani Girn had been accepted and he would be allowed to rejoin the Panth after completing the “tankhah”.

Talking to TNS, Giani Vedanti admitted that a special messenger was sent to Giani Puran Singh with a request to attend the meeting but he refused without giving any reason.

Earlier, on December 20, the Sikh Priests had postponed the crucial meeting due to lack of quorum as Giani Puran Singh could not attend the meeting. Giani Puran Singh had refused to sit with Prof Manjit Singh, Jathedar, Kesgarh Sahib, Giani Kewal Singh, Jathedar, Damdama Sahib, and Giani Bhagwan Singh, Head Granthi, Akal Takht, saying that all of them had been excommunicated from the Sikh Panth.

Though the High Priests had themselves said no meeting could be held without the presence of the Head Granthi of the Golden Temple, they met at Akal Takht to take an important decision regarding the rejoining of the Panth by Giani Girn.

Meanwhile, the Sikh circles are astonished on the volte face of the High Priests who held the meeting in the absence of Giani Puran Singh.