CHANDIGARH: The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Friday terminated the services of Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh and Takht Kesgarh Jathedar Giani Sultan Singh. The Akal Takht in Amritsar and the Takht Kesgarh at Anandpur Sahib are two of the five seats of temporal authority of Sikhism. The move may adversely affect the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) which is already facing an erosion of its support base.
Now, all three Sikh Jathedars who declared the then SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal 'tankhaiya' (guilty of religious misconduct) and stripped former Punjab chief minister Prakash Singh Badal of the Panth Rattan Fakhr-e-Qaum title on December 2, 2024 have been removed from their posts.
This move by the SGPC has sparked controversy and outrage as it's seen as undermining the Akal Takht's sanctity. The development comes almost a month after the SGPC removed Giani Harpreet Singh from his post as Jathedar of Takht Damdama Sahib in February.
However, both Raghbir Singh and Sultan Singh will continue their services as Head Granthi and Granthi of the Golden Temple. This was announced by SGPC executive body member Jaswant Singh Purain.
Giani Kuldeep Singh Gadgaj, a ‘katha vachak’ since 2001, has been appointed the Takht Kesgarh Sahib Jathedar and also the acting Jathedar of the Akal Takht. Sant Baba Tek Singh has been appointed the Jathedar of Takht Damdama Sahib.
Meanwhile, the decision on SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami’s resignation has been kept pending.
A few days back Raghbir Singh had objected to the sacking of Giani Harpreet Singh from his post of Jathedar of Takht Damdama Sahib. Raghbir Singh had also said that as per the December 2, 2024 decree of the Akal Takht, the seven-member committee constituted by the highest Sikh temporal seat to conduct the recruitment drive of the SAD for the reorganization of the party structure did not require the cooperation of the party’s existing leadership and the panel was asked to initiate the process of recruitment on its own. This implied that he had rejected the recruitment drive being conducted by the Sukhbir Singh Badal camp.
On December 2 last year, the Akal Takht had ordered the SAD working committee to accept within three days the resignations of Sukhbir Singh Badal and others, who had been declared tankhaiya (guilty of religious misconduct) for the mistakes committed during the SAD regime in Punjab, and form a panel to hold elections for the post of SAD president and other office-bearers within six months.
It had also constituted a seven-member committee, led by SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami, with Kirpal Singh Badungar, Gurpartap Singh Wadala, Manpreet Singh Ayali, Iqbal Singh Jhundan, Santa Singh Umaidpur and Bibi Satwant Kaur as its members, to work towards the party’s reconstitution within six months. But Dhami and Badungar had recently tendered their resignations from the committee.
Speaking to The New Indian Express, a leading expert on Sikh issues, Prof AS Gill of Delhi University, says, "The jathedars' attempt to assert the Akal Takht’s supremacy proved fatal and it may have long-term implications for the relationship between the Akal Takht and SGPC."
An Akali Dal leader on condition of anonymity said, "With this move to remove the jathedars, the credibility of the SGPC, which was at an all-time low, has been further dented and it will also have long-term repercussions on the party."
Prominent Sikh leaders in the United States have strongly condemned the SGPC for removing Jathedars Singh and Sultan. In a joint statement, Sajjan Singh, chief of Gurdwara Santsar Sahib, and Sikh leader Narinder Singh Hundal called the decision "unwise and unacceptable" to Sikhs worldwide. They urged the SGPC to reconsider its decision.
Explaining the rationale behind changing the Jathedars, Senior Vice President of SGPC Raghujit Singh Virk said the Akal Takht is the supreme authority of Miri Piri (Sikh doctrine of close relationship between religion and politics), established by Guru Hargobind, and remains the spiritual and political centre of Sikh governance. However, in the face of growing challenges, the leadership of the former Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh was deemed inadequate in guiding the Panth and addressing contemporary issues effectively.
He highlighted concerns over increasing divisions within Sikh institutions, rising threats to Sikh identity worldwide and the alleged failure of the former Jathedar to take a firm stance on critical Panthic matters.
"In this era of globalization, the Jathedar of Akal Takht Sahib must provide clear, unwavering leadership to safeguard Sikh interests. Unfortunately, Singh’s inconsistent approach has weakened Panthic unity instead of strengthening it. Given these serious shortcomings, the Executive Committee decided to retire him from the post of Jathedar of Akal Takht," he said.
Virk said that it was unanimously decided to hold the SGPC's annual budget session on March 28.