Dasvand
Ottawa (March 7, 2025)– The World Sikh Organization of Canada (WSO) strongly condemns the removal of the Jathedars of Sri Akal Takhat and Takht Kesgarh Sahib by the Executive Committee of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) earlier today. The removal of the Jathedars was clearly a political move by the Akali Dal (Badal) that controls the SGPC and is an unpardonable insult to the sovereignty of Sri Akal Takhat Sahib and an affront to the Sikh community worldwide.
On Friday, the SGPC removed Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh and Takht Kesgarh Sahib Jathedar Giani Sultan Singh from their posts. This comes just weeks after the SGPC also dismissed Giani Harpreet Singh from his position as Jathedar of Takht Sri Damdama Sahib. Now, all three Sikh Jathedars who had issued a verdict against Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal and revoked the Panth Rattan Fakhr-e-Qaum title from former Punjab Chief Minister, the late Prakash Singh Badal for anti-Sikh actions during their tenure as government in Punjab from 2007-2017, have been removed from their posts.
Sri Akal Takhat Sahib in Amritsar and the four other Takhats of the Sikh faith are sovereign seats of Sikh authority. However, under the influence of Akali Dal (Badal) and other political forces, the leadership and authority of the Sikh Takhats has repeatedly been undermined, reducing them to mere extensions of party politics rather than respecting them as sacred institutions.
According to the colonial-era Gurdwara Act of 1925, the responsibility for holding SGPC elections rests with the Government of India, specifically the Home Ministry, through the Gurdwara Election Commission (a designated authority under the Act). The last SGPC election took place in 2011, and despite repeated calls from the Sikh community, no new elections have been held since.
WSO President Danish Singh said today,
“The removal of the Jathedars of Sri Akal Takhat Sahib, Sri Kesgarh Sahib and Sri Damdama Sahib by the Akali Dal (Badal) controlled SGPC over the course of just weeks is unacceptable and an insult to these sacred institutions and the Sikh community. These removals were undoubtedly political and in response to Sri Akal Takhat Sahib calling out and punishing the leadership of the Akali Dal (Badal)on December 2 last year for their anti-Sikh activities when they were in power in Punjab from 2007 to 2017.
Today’s actions by the SGPC and the Akali Dal (Badal) are a challenge for Sikhs worldwide and a reminder that we must take steps to reclaim and safeguard the sovereignty and integrity of our Takhats and other institutions.
The Government of India must have no role in the governance of Sikh institutions. India’s deliberate and strategic delay in calling SGPC elections has allowed political interference to fester, and the ruling BJP has clearly shown an interest in seizing control of gurdwaras and eroding the autonomy of Sikh institutions.
This latest development is yet another reminder that both Sikhs and Sikh institutions remain vulnerable in India today. The interference in our sacred institutions cannot continue. There needs to be an independent and transparent process for both the appointment and removal of Takhat Jathedars. These positions must be filled by individuals who uphold Sikh values and not by those who are subject to political whims and power struggles. The Sikh community must remain vigilant against external forces that seek to control Sikh institutions for their own political gain.”
The WSO is a non-profit national organization with a mandate to promote and protect the interests of Canadian Sikhs as well as to promote and advocate for the protection of human rights of all individuals.