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Sehajdharis barred from SGPC elections
Tribune News Service

Amritsar, July 15
The Union Home Ministry has cleared the file to debar the “sehajdharis” from exercising their right to vote during the general election of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee.

Mr Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Union Minister and Secretary General, Shiromani Akali Dal told The Tribune that the Central Government is likely to issue a notification in this regard shortly.

Voter lists for the general elections of the SGPC have already been prepared by district administrations and it would be an arduous task to prepare new lists at a time when elections are expected any time.

Though the SGPC had been demanding to debar the Sehajdharis from the voting for a long time by adopting unanimous resolutions yet the state government opposed the move.

The organisations of ‘sehajdharis’ had also opposed moves debarring them from the voting right.

Mr Manjit Singh Calcutta, a former SGPC secretary, welcoming the decision to delete the word ‘Sehajdhari’ from the Gurdwara Act 1925 said that it was a right decision taken at an appropriate time.