SGPC removes Jathedars of Akal Takht, Kesgarh Sahib, triggers outrage

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Friday (March 7) removed Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh and Takht Kesgarh Sahib Jathedar Giani Sultan Singh from their posts.

The Akal Takht Sahib in Amritsar is the highest temporal seat of Sikhs. The development comes almost a month after the SGPC removed Giani Harpreet Singh from his post as Jathedar of Takht Sri Damdama Sahib.

The SGPC move has sparked outrage among the Sikh community as many say it has undermined the Akal Takht’s authority and sanctity. The decision may also spell trouble for the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) which has witnessed a massive erosion in its support base among the Sikhs over the last decade or so.

Also read: Crisis in Akali Dal deepens as SGPC chief Harjinder Singh Dhami resigns

Bid to settle score for punishing Sukhbir?

With today’s decision, all three prominent jathedars (Sikh high priests) who had sentenced former Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal for religious misconduct on December 2 last year, have been removed from their posts.

The SGPC, which is ruled by SAD, appointed Kuldeep Singh Gadgaj as the acting Jathedar of Akal Takht. He has also been appointed as the Jathedar of Takht Kesgarh Sahib.

Giani Raghbir Singh will continue to hold the charge of ‘head granthi’ of the Golden Temple.

In another decision, SGPC member Baba Tek Singh Dhanola has been appointed as the Jathedar of Takht Damdama Sahib in Bathinda.

At loggerheads over SAD reorganisation

Significantly, Giani Raghbir Singh had objected to the SGPC’s decision to sack Giani Harpreet Singh as the Takht Damdama Sahib Jathedar last month, following which SGPC chief Harjinder Singh Dhami had resigned from his post a few days back.

Also read: Why Akal Takht has declared Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Badal 'guilty of religious misconduct'

Political analysts have attributed the SGPC move to the fact that the SAD had been on collision course with the Akal Takht over reorganisation of the party as per the edict issued by the highest temporal seat of Sikhs in December last year.

This became evident again on March 5 when the party announced to initiate its organisational poll on March 10 with the election of delegates amid a renewed attempt by an Akal Takht-constituted panel to launch a membership drive for the party later in the month.

Rebel leaders trying to damage party: SAD

The party once again rejected the Akal Takht panel — including rebel Akali leaders — and alleged that some members of the committee were working to damage the party. The party said its membership drive, launched on January 20, was also nearing completion, with around 30 lakh people filling registration slips.

SAD spokespersons Daljit Singh Cheema said the Akal Takht panel was a supervisory committee, which was extended full cooperation by SAD. However, some members of the committee had their own agenda and were working to damage the party, he alleged.

Also read: Akal Takht sentences Sukhbir Badal, asks him to clean shoes, utensils at Golden Temple

“SAD working president Balwinder Singh Bhundar had invited members of the supervisory committee to the party office but they declined the invitation. They were also invited to take membership copies as required but they declined to do so,” he said.

Earlier, on December 2 last year, the Akal Takht had pronounced a religious sentence for Sukhbir Singh Badal and other senior party leaders for the SAD’s alleged misrule when it was in power in Punjab between 2007 and 2017. It had also formed a seven-member committee to reorganise the SAD by initiating a membership drive and making arrangements for the election of its top leadership within six months.