Haryana Sikhs to take control of SGPC gurdwaras in their state

GS Paul

Amritsar, February 5

The Haryana Sikhs have now geared up to take the possession of gurdwaras in their state following the Supreme Court’s refusal to acknowledge the challenge of the SGPC against forming a separate Haryana Sikh body.

The SGPC has suffered a major jolt when the Supreme Court had dismissed its review petition on October 19, 2022, against upholding the constitutional validity of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC) Act enacted in 2014 to manage the gurdwaras in Haryana independently from the control of the SGPC.

On October 24, 2022, the Haryana Government has notified the 41-member ad hoc panel of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (HSGPC) for 18 months and later appointed Mahant Karamjit Singh, chief of the Yamunanagar-based Sewapanthi sect, as its head in December.

It is learnt that SAD president Sukhbir Badal is scheduled to visit Amritsar tomorrow. Sources said the issue would be discussed to decide the next course of action.

Nonetheless, the Haryana Sikhs have now been aiming to work out a mechanism to get hold of the assets of around 50 SGPC-controlled gurdwaras, including eight historical ones that come under Section 85 of the Sikh Gurdwara Act, 1925.

However, there is friction among Haryana Sikh leaders. The prominent leaders, including former HSGMC president Jagdish Singh Jhinda and Baljit Singh Daduwal, had even opposed the ad hoc panel. Jhinda had even approached Akal Takht against the Haryana-nominated gurdwara panel and submitted a list of 41 members to form a fresh committee.

Nonetheless, Jhinda said the Haryana Sikhs had decided to be on ‘one platform’, while burying the differences. “We will not give SGPC any chance to point a finger at the Haryana Sikhs. I am already in touch with Mahant Karamjit Singh to resolve certain issues. We will manage to take control of all gurdwaras in the state,” he said.

He said there could be two ways to take control of the SGPC-controlled gurdwaras. “We will ask the SGPC to surrender its charge, otherwise we will appeal to the SC to get us the control,” he said.

Daduwal said the SGPC’s management had already belittled the stature of Sikhs’ Mini Parliament. “Earlier, the SGPC was reluctant to accept the SC’s verdict when the apex court had validated the HSGMC Act 2014. Later, it filed the review petition that too was declared null and void. Now, I will request SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami to hand over the Haryana gurdwaras to us,” he said.

Echoing the identical views, another prominent Haryana Sikh leader Didar Singh Nalvi also showed dissatisfaction with the existing HSGPC’s ad hoc committee. “The existing ad hoc committee is already lying redundant and never held a single meeting. Mahant Karamjit Singh has never taken charge yet. He should quit as he could not lead the Haryana Sikhs in an appropriate manner. I appeal to the government to review it and form a fresh ad hoc committee to manage Haryana gurdwaras”, he said.

Can file appeal in SC

We will ask the SGPC to surrender its charge, otherwise we will file an appeal to the SC to get us the control. — Jagdish Singh Jhinda, ex-HSGMC chief