10-Year Delay in SGPC Elections; Relief for Nepal Flood Victims

September

2026

The apex management body of Sikhs, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), has not held elections since 2011. Under the Sikh Gurdwaras Act (SGA), 1925, and the Sikh Gurdwaras Board Election Rules, 1959, the Indian union government appoints a Chief Commissioner, Gurdwara Elections, who heads the Gurdwara Election Commission. The last general election to the SGPC was held in 2011. However, a court dispute over the voting rights of Sikhs who trim or shave their beard and cut their hair—long hair is an article of faith in Sikh religion—kept the newly elected House in limbo. After a 2016 amendment to the SGA disqualified such Sikhs from being SGPC electors, the members elected in 2011 formally began their tenure which ended in 2021. Since Section 51 of SGA allows an existing House to continue 'until constitution of a new Board', the House elected in 2011 has continued to function well past 2022. In August 2025, Indian National Congress Member of Parliament Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa raised the issue in Parliament. Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai replied, 'The government had already appointed a Chief Commissioner. However, several cases filed in the Punjab and Haryana High Court (PHHC) have halted further progress.' 5.1M voters were registered in Panjab in the new electoral rolls. The total Sikh population worldwide is around 30M. One pending case is by Baldev Singh Mianpur of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) seeking that Sikh voters in Haryana be given voting rights and the SGPC seats in Haryana not be abolished. However, Haryana now has its own Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, and its members are ineligible to vote in SGPC elections. Critics say the case is a delaying tactic because the current SGPC board is largely influenced by SAD. An independent Sikh activist Lakhvir Singh has approached the PHHC demanding fresh SGPC elections or at least by-polls for 34 seats that lie vacant because members died or resigned. Meanwhile, in flood-ravaged Nepal, the local Sikh community has emerged as a crucial force in relief and rehabilitation efforts—extending assistance to victims while serving as a vital link for foreign-based Sikh organizations unfamiliar with the Nepali language and the country's difficult-to-navigate affected areas. SGPC has started langar (community kitchen) and relief operations for the flood victims (earlier coverage).