CHANDIGARH: The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Friday decided to put the resignation of its president Harjinder Singh Dhami on hold and said that a five-member panel would meet him and urge him to reconsider his decision.
On February 17, Dhami had resigned amid a row over the SGPC's decision to sack Giani Harpreet Singh as the Jathedar of the Takht Damdama Sahib near Bathinda -- one of the five seats of temporal authority of Sikhism like the Akal Takht in Amritsar. The sacking was condemned by Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh. Dhami then submitted his resignation citing 'moral grounds'.
The executive committee of the SGPC appealed to Dhami to reconsider stepping down amidst the ongoing controversy over the sacking.
Senior Vice-President of SGPC Ragujit Singh Virk said that Dhami's resignation was not final and emphasized the governing body's control over such appointments. "A five-member delegation of executive members would approach Dhami shortly to urge him to withdraw his resignation and return to his duties," he said.
Virk also cited the SGPC executive's autonomy in personnel affairs.
SGPC chief secretary Kulwant Singh Manan said Dhami is a good administrator with a clean image. "His contribution to the Sikh organization could not be ignored. So, a resolution was passed in today's meeting urging Dhami to review his decision," he added.
He further said that a meeting would be called soon to make stopgap arrangements for taking administrative decisions in Dhami's absence.
Dhami had also announced his resignation from the seven-member committee appointed by the Akal Takht Jathedar to oversee the membership drive of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).
Giani Harpreet Singh was dismissed by the SGPC's executive body on February 10 after a three-member inquiry panel indicted him for moral misconduct in its report.
Citing the Sikh Gurdwaras Act 1925, Virk, who was one of the panel members, said that the SGPC has the authority and prerogative to appoint or remove the Takht Jathedars. "We are also going to ask Giani Raghbir Singh to submit a clarification on sacking Giani Harpreet Singh as it pertains to an administrative issue for which the SGPC has reserved all rights to take a decision," he said.
"There were serious allegations against him. After a thorough inquiry, we gathered ample evidence that held him guilty. On the basis of the report, the majority of the SGPC executive members decided to remove him as Takht Jathedar," Virk claimed.
