Court Orders Inquiry into Gurdwara, Temple Land Management

The Punjab and Haryana High Court (PHHC) recently ordered the governments of Panjab and Haryana to constitute High-Powered Committees to inquire into the management of muafi (revenue-free) lands assigned to Sikh and Hindu communities for building Gurdwaras and Temples. The judgment was on the case titled Mandir Shri Satya Narayan v. State of Punjab and Others. A Bench of Justices Sureshwar Thakur and Lalit Batra ordered the Committees to see whether there is a well-established system for the appointment of Mohatmims/Shehbits (managers acting on behalf of the idol inside the Temples) or Granthis (custodians of the Guru Granth Sahib) at such religious places. The custodians are to ensure the performance of daily rituals inside Sikh Gurdwaras or Hindu Temples and proper maintenance of the properties and their incomes, stressed the Court. The Court observed there was no ‘well-formed government machinery’ to streamline the workings of muafi lands or such properties that have been assigned to religious communities. Meanwhile, the High Court held the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee's president Harmeet Singh Kalka and general secretary Jagdeep Singh Khalon in contempt of court over non-payment of teachers' salaries. The court deemed the officials guilty of intentionally not complying with a 2021 ruling that ordered payment of arrears of salaries to teachers and staff of Guru Harkrishan Public School, according to the 6th and 7th Central Pay Commission (CPC). In 2021, the Court had directed the committee that arrears under the 6th CPC shall be paid with interest at the rate of 6% per annum whereas the arrears of the 7th CPC would not carry any interest.