CHANDIGARH: The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) (mini parliament of Sikhs) has registered strong opposition to the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) describing that it is suppression on minorities and was no longer relevant besides unnecessary in the country.
Sources said that in the executive committee meeting of the SGPC today it has been decided that there is no need for UCC in the country, while the constitution recognizes the principle of unity in diversity.
Speaking after the executive committee of the SGPC, it’s President Harjinder Singh Dhami said that there is an apprehension among the minorities in the country regarding the Uniform Civil Code that this code will hurt their identity, originality, and principles. On the issue of UCC, the SGPC has constituted a sub-committee of Sikh intellectuals, historians, scholars, and lawyers, which at the preliminary stage considered the UCC as suppression for the existence of minorities, their religious rites, traditions, and culture. This sub-committee includes SGPC general secretary Gurcharan Singh Grewal, senior Sikh lawyer Puran Singh Hundal, SGPC members Bhagwant Singh Sialka, Paramjit Kaur Landran, and Kiranjot Kaur, Prof Kashmir Singh, Dr Inderjit Singh Gogoani, Dr Paramveer Singh, and Dr Chamkaur Singh. He said that as per the opinion of this sub-committee, the SGPC has expressed strong opposition against the UCC.
He said that any challenge to bani bana (Gurbani and traditional Sikh attire), bol baale (words or thoughts which are sublime or supreme as well as high and true), principles, traditions, values, lifestyle, culture, independent existence and distinct entity of Sikhs can never be accepted and the Sikh Maryada (code of conduct) cannot be tested by the worldly law. Therefore, the Sikh community opposes the UCC. He also said that the 21st Law Commission had also rejected the UCC terming it as neither desirable nor feasible.
Already the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has opposed the proposed implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the country saying it would have an adverse impact on minorities and tribal communities. Senior SAD leader Dr Daljit Singh Cheema had said the party had opposed the UCC for the country and would submit its reservations on the issue to the 22nd Law Commission as well as in Parliament.
About the other decisions at the executive committee meeting, Dhami said that the case against Congress leader Jagdish Tytler, accused of murdering three sikhs at Pulbangash Gurdwara Sahib in Delhi in 1984, will be pursued by the SGPC. He said that the CBI has filed a chargesheet in the court against Tytler and the fees of the lawyers fighting this case will be paid by the SGPC. He said that after the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) backed down on this matter, now the SGPC has decided to pursue this case.
He said that the EC has also approved setting up a project to digitize the old handwritten holy saroops (scriptures) at Gurdwara Goindwal Sahib. He said that old handwritten holy saroops of Sri Guru Granth Sahib arriving for the last rites at Goindwal Sahib will be identified and digitized under this project. This decision has been taken from the perspective of preserving the old valuable Sikh heritage.