Panel to Frame Rules for 'Akal Takht Jathedar'; Controversy over Banda Bahadur

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has constituted a 34-member panel to frame rules regarding the appointment, retirement and termination of services of the Akal Takht (Eternal Throne, AT) Jathedar (leader). Though AT is for all Sikhs worldwide, the panel has also not included Sikhs who live in the Inspora—outside Panjab in India—and the Diaspora. The panel has even excluded Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC). Former SGPC general secretary Bibi Kiranjot Kaur said, ‘The real issue is not who is the Jathedar and from which faction. The issue is which issues should come up to the Akal Takht. What is the method of arriving at Hukamnama (decree) and Gurmata (Guru sanctioned resolution).’ Meanwhile, DSGMC members Manjit Singh GK and Paramjit Singh Sarna have submitted their resignations alleging Delhi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government's interference in the affairs of the Sikh institution. Both GK and Sarna, former DSGMC presidents, said, ‘This is a complete reversal of the no-interference principle upheld under former Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and the then Chief Minister Madan Lal Khurana when, despite ideological differences, Sikh institutions were treated with a basic degree of respect.’ Meanwhile, a Haryana govt advertisement on the martyrdom day of revered Sikh warrior Baba Banda Singh Bahadur on 25 Jun started a controversy as it referred to him as 'Veer Banda Bairagi' implying he was Hindu. The SGPC president and acting Jathedar of AT condemned the label as a 'grave insult' to Sikh history and identity, alleging a deliberate attempt to distort the legacy of the Khalsa general who led a historic campaign against Mughal tyranny. The Haryana govt social media posts have since been modified. Another controversy erupted when former AT Jathedar and current head granthi (hymns reciter) Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple) Giani Raghbir Singh filed and later withdrew his petition from the Punjab and Haryana High Court. He feared he might be sacked from his role. Giani Raghbir Singh was among those Jathedars who had announced the 2 Dec 2024 AT decrees against the Badal family control on Sikh institutions and the major political party (earlier coverage).