M A I N   N E W S

‘Tankhah’ awarded to publishers
Denigration of Guru Granth Sahib
Varinder Walia
Tribune News Service

Amritsar, May 15
The five High Priests today pronounced ‘tankhah’ on owners of a publishing house, Messrs Jeewan Singh and Chattar Singh, for printing Guru Granth Sahib in gross violation of the ‘hukmnama’ (edict) issued by Akal Takht in May, 1998.

The owners — Mr Harbhajan Singh, Mr Harinderpal Singh and Mr Mohinder Pal Singh — have been directed to dust the shoes of the Sikh ‘sangat’ for 10 days, listen to ‘kirtan’ and clean utensils at the community kitchen for an hour each for 10 days.

On completion of the ‘tankhah’, they have been directed to deposit Rs 1100 in the ‘golak’ of Golden Temple and Rs 2100 in that of Akal Takht. After that they will make an offering of Rs 101 karah parsad. The punishment was pronounced from rostrum of Akal Takht by Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti. Earlier, the five High Priests, including Prof Manjit Singh, Jathedar, Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib, Bhai Kewal Singh, Jathedar, Takht Damdama Sahib, Giani Bhagwan Singh, Head Granthi, Akal Takht, and Giani Gurbachan Singh, Granthi, Golden Temple held a meeting. As expected, Giani Puran Singh, Head Granthi, Golden Temple, did not attend the meeting.

The owners of the firm, Bhai Jeewan Singh and Chattar Singh were declared “tankhaiya” by the then Jathedar of Akal Takht, Bhai Ranjit Singh, as they had failed to appear before the High Priests, despite repeated reminders.

Bhai Ranjit Singh alleged that the owners had offered him Rs 25 lakh to avoid the ‘tankhah’ through a mediator, which he had refused. He alleged the High Priests had taken a lenient view of the offence of the publishers despite the fact that they had shown disrespect to the Akal Takht.

He said the ‘hukmnama’ pronounced today did not mention that the firm had been directed not to publish the holy Granth in future. The ‘hukmnama’ issued in May, 1998, had said the SGPC had the sole right to publish Guru Granth Sahib.

In a significant development, the High Priests have written to Mr Jagdev Singh Talwandi, SGPC chief, to take steps to implement the edict of Akal Takht which had imposed a ban on the publication of Guru Granth Sahib by the publishers in toto. The High Priests have said that a six-member high powered committee had been formed to monitor the printing of Guru Granth Sahib as per the ‘maryada’.

The committee comprises the SGPC chief, the Akal Takht Jathedar, Bhai Harbans Singh, Principal Parkash Singh, Principal Jagdish Singh and secretary, Dharm Parchar Committee.

The High Priests said the committee would delegate powers to known publishers in foreign countries to print Guru Granth Sahib.

The High Priests took serious note of the alleged sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib at Chauhanke village in Sangrur district. However, Mr Sahib Singh Kaleke, district police chief, Barnala, claimed that there was no damage to the holy Granth. He said the villagers had given to him in writing that the Granth Sahib was intact.

Court rejects Laloo’s plea
Santosh Jha

Ranchi, May 15
The Special CBI court here on Tuesday rejected the petitions of RJD chief Laloo Prasad Yadav and ex-CM Jagannath Mishra that had challenged the jurisdiction and issuance of arrest warrants by it in the RC-47/A case of the Rs 950 crore fodder scam. It was tantamount to the fact that the fresh cases in the fodder scam would be heard and tried at the Ranchi court. The RC-47/A case would fall in the jurisdiction of the Ranchi court.

The Special Court Judge, Justice Asim Baran Shekhar was delivering the final verdict on the petition filed by Laloo Yadav and Jagannath Mishra on May 9 challenging the jurisdiction of the Special CBI court at Ranchi.

The CBI court ruled in favour of the CBI plea that maintained that the Supreme Court had only stayed the arrest and had said nothing on the jurisdiction of the CBI court in hearing the fresh cases. The CBI in the meantime, in a fresh petition prayed before the court that as the SC did not stay the proceedings of the CBI court, it should issue summons to the convicts Laloo Yadav, Mishra and others in connection with the RC-47/A case the chargesheet in which was filed by the CBI on May 8. The court ruled that further hearing of the RC-47/A case would restart on May 22.

Earlier, the CBI designated court at Ranchi had reserved the final verdict for today after hearing both sides with regard to the jurisdiction of the court in hearing the RC-47/A case.

At Patna the Patna High Court bench of Justice Narayan Rai could not here the case owing to lack of time on Monday.

As the Supreme Court has given the much-needed respite to Laloo Yadav, staying his arrest, the lawyers of Laloo Prasad on Monday geared up to grill the CBI in the Patna High Court in the light of the SC verdict. A much-relaxed Laloo Yadav was busy all Monday taking legal opinion about the interpretation of the SC judgment and the future course of action.

It is to be mentioned here that the Special CBI court at Ranchi had on May 8 issued non-bailable arrest warrants against Mr Laloo Prasad Yadav and Dr Jagannath Mishra in connection with a RS-47/A case of the Rs 950 crore fodder scam. On May 9 it admitted a petition filed by the lawyers of the two challenging the validity of its verdict and issued notice to the CBI counsel to file a reply. The final verdict was reserved for today. The lawyers of Laloo Yadav then moved the Patna High Court on May 10 after the designated court reserved its verdict. The Patna High Court bench on May 11 posted further hearing on the petition filed by Laloo Prasad Yadav and Jagannath Mishra for May 14. On May 12, the SC stayed the execution of arrest warrants against the two and is likely to hear the case after the summer vacation.