CHANDIGARH: Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of Sikhs, has excommunicated Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) member Amarjit Singh Chawla. It also suspended additional head granthi Malkit Singh from the Khalsa Panth.
The action against Chawla relates to a rape case registered at the Anandpur Sahib Police Station. A woman alleged that Chawla raped her while she was staying in Anandpur Sahib, and Singh was accused of sending her obscene messages.
The Sikh clergy said the allegations had hurt community sentiments and compromised the dignity of Sikh institutions. The decree directs the Sikh community to sever all ties with Chawla and Singh. It also bars them for life from holding positions in Sikh institutions.
Chawla will remain excommunicated unless he proves his innocence and appears before the Akal Takht.
The announcement was made at the Akal Takht by its Acting Jathedar and Jathedar of Takht Kesgarh Sahib, Kuldeep Singh Gargaj. The decision was taken at a meeting at the Akal Takht Secretariat in the Golden Temple complex.
The meeting was attended by Kuldeep Singh Gargaj, Harmandir Sahib Granthi Kewal Singh, Jathedar of Takht Damdama Sahib Tek Singh, Akal Takht Granthi Gurbakhshish Singh and one of the Panj Pyare, Mangal Singh.
An FIR was registered on August 21 under Sections 64 (rape), 127(2) (wrongful confinement) and 351(2) (criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
While the FIR was registered in August, details of the case surfaced only recently. Chawla reportedly fled to Canada after the allegations came to light. He resigned from his SGPC and SAD posts, calling the allegations a deep-rooted conspiracy.