Amritsar, September 23 -The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has rejected the Supreme Court’s judgment of upholding validity of Haryana Sikh Gurdwara (Management) (HSGMC) Act, 2014, terming it politically motivated.
In an official press release issued by the SGPC here today stated that a special resolution was passed in this regard, in an urgent meeting of SGPC’s Executive Committee (EC), presided over by SGPC President Harjinder Singh Dhami at Kalgidhar Niwas, Chandigarh on Friday. The resolution clearly stated that the Gurdwara Act passed by the state government cannot affect the jurisdiction of SGPC, while The Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925 is in force.
Giving information about the resolution, SGPC President Dhami said, “The Supreme Court’s judgment given by two judges regarding separate HSGMC Act is purely politically motivated and one judge among them has direct association with RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh). Therefore, this judgment is motivated by political interests, in place of being the one of Supreme Court.”
SGPC President said that he has the evidence of one judge having association with RSS and soon, his name will be publicized.
He said the SGPC’s EC has decided to file a review petition on the Supreme Court’s judgment on HSGMC Act and a special meeting of all the SGPC members has been called to discuss future course of action at Amritsar on September 30, 2022.
SGPC President said that the right to make any amendment in the Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925, is only with the Central Government and that too is possible only with the approval of SGPC’s General House.
“State governments cannot reduce the jurisdiction of the Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925, as the amendment conduct is determined. From time to time, the governments have adopted tactics to weaken the Sikh power and interfere in SGPC affairs, but they never succeeded before the Panth’s unity”, said Advocate Dhami.
He said, Congress-led Central Government had attempted to interfere in 1959, but it had to accept the Sikh community’s demand.
“After the protest by Sikhs, in April 1959, a pact was reached between the then Prime Minister Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru and Shiromani Akali Dal President Master Tara Singh, under which, it was made mandatory to take approval of SGPC’s General House for making amendment in the Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925”, said Dhami.
He said the Sikh community is saddened that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its parent organisation RSS, are also following the footsteps of Congress. If the then Haryana Chief Minister (CM) Bhupinder Singh Hooda, committed a mischievous act by passing an Act under unconstitutional conspiracy to break SGPC, then the BJP government also did the same. He said former Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh also presented evidence of being anti-Sikh by changing an affidavit filed during Akali government and the incumbent Aam Aadmi Party Punjab government also supported Haryana in Supreme Court.
Dhami said that the validity given to HSGMC Act, 2014 by unconstitutional, unprincipled and illegal approach cannot be accepted and the existence of Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925, cannot be abolished by state governments.
He said the jurisdiction of SGPC is as per the Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925, which is intact as earlier. Therefore, the Haryana government should not try to take possession of any Gurdwara Sahibs or institutions functioning under the Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925.
SGPC President also said that we appreciate the sentiments of Sikh Sangat of Haryana, but the conspiracies of powers wanting to break the Supreme Sikh body SGPC can never be accepted.
Present in the EC meeting included SGPC senior vice-president Raghujit Singh Virk, general secretary Karnail Singh Panjoli, member Surjit Singh Kang, EC members Sarvan Singh Kular, Jarnail Singh Dogranwala, Balwinder Singh Vain Puin, Gurinderpal Singh Gora, Amarjit Singh Bandala, Bibi Gurpreet Kaur, Jodh Singh Samra, Baba Gurpreet Singh, additional secretary Paramjit Singh Saroa, Pratap Singh, Sukhminder Singh, OSD to SGPC President Satbir Singh Dhami, in-charge Shahbaz Singh, and Azaddeep Singh.
