CHANDIGARH: The Akal Takht declared Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal guilty of religious misconduct (tankhaiya). He was declared guilty of making controversial decisions when Badal was the Punjab Deputy Chief Minister from 2007 - 2017.
Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of Sikhs, also summoned the Sikh ministers of the then Parkash Singh Badal cabinet during the SAD-BJP regime.
The five Sikh high priests unanimously decided to declare Sukhbir guilty in a meeting convened by Akal Takht Jathedar (High Priest) Giani Raghbir Singh at Akal Takht Secretariat in Amritsar.
Badal would be ‘tankhaiya’ till he appears as a humble (nimana) sikh with clarification and seeks atonement for the sins committed by him before Akal Takht in the presence of Guru Granth Sahib and five high priests.
In addition to this, without naming any one person, the Akal Takht also summoned the Sikh ministers in the then Parkash Singh Badal cabinet who were part of the contentious decisions that had dented the sanctity of the Sikh community.
Announcing the verdict from the podium (faseel) of Akal Takht, High Priest Raghbir Singh said that Badal had been granted 15 days to comply with the decision of the five high priests.
“Sukhbir has been declared ‘tankhaiya’ till he seeks penance as a humble Sikh (nimana) for the sins (gunah) committed by him as chief of Akali Dal and as Deputy Chief Minister from 2007-2017. He and his Sikh cabinet colleagues (bhaiwal) took several decisions that ended up in Akali Dal’s debacle, hurting the sentiments and interest of the community (Panth), thus they have been given fifteen days to submit their stance in person,” Raghbir Singh said.
The Sikh clergy included Takht Damdama Sahib Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh and Takht Kesgarh Sahib Jathedar Giani Sultan Singh.
Following the announcement of the verdict, the Akali Dal in a video message announced that it “humbly accepts the directive of the Takht”.
In the message, Vice-President of the party, Daljit Singh Cheema said that the party bows before the edict and would act accordingly.
“Sukhbir Singh Badal appeared before Akal Takht last month and accepted his government’s mistakes. He had already announced that the orders of the supreme temporal seat would be followed in true,” said Cheema.
The Akali Dal yesterday appointed Balwinder Singh Bhundar as the working President of the party.
Earlier Badal had sought unconditional forgiveness for all mistakes committed when the SAD was in power in Punjab. He had submitted his explanation on July 24, after the high priest of Akal Takht asked him to appear before the highest temporal seat of Sikhs in person, following allegations leveled by the rebel leaders.
In his letter, Badal stated that he was a humble servant of the Guru and always dedicated to the Guru Granth Sahib and the Akal Takht. `
“Whatever has been written against us, I present myself before the great throne of the Guru, seeking unconditional forgiveness from ‘Guru Sahib’ and ‘Guru Panth’. Whether these mistakes are from the party or the government, I am seeking forgiveness for all these mistakes, which took place knowingly or unknowingly,” the letter read
The letter further added that he and his companions would accept every order issued by the Akal Takht with humility, according to Gurmat traditions.
They sought forgiveness for four mistakes during the SAD regime between 2007 and 2017, failure to punish those responsible for the 2015 sacrilege incidents and pardoning Dera Sacha Sauda chief, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a 2007 blasphemy case and held the then deputy chief minister Badal responsible for the mistakes.
The other mistakes include failure to punish perpetrators of the Bargari sacrilege police officials for the Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan firing incidents besides appointing Sumedh Singh Saini as the Punjab DGP. It also include giving Farzana Alam, the wife of controversial police officer Izhar Alam the party ticket in the 2012 assembly elections, and appointing her chief parliamentary secretary and failing to deliver justice to victims in fake encounter cases.
A section of SAD leaders revolted against Badal, asking him to step down as the party chief following the party’s debacle in the Lok Sabha polls. In 2015, the Akal Takht pardoned the Dera chief based on a written apology. However, bowing to pressure from the Sikh community and hardliners, it annulled its decision.