Former Jathedar Accuses Ex-Akal Takht Head of Breaching Sikh Code
Amritsar: Former Takht Sir Patna Sahib Jathedar Giani Ranjit Singh Gohar-e-Maskeen has accused ex-Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh of violating the Sikh ‘maryada' (code of religious conduct) by submitting the December 2024 Akal Takht proceedings related to the tankhah (religious punishment) pronounced on SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal as evidence before the Punjab Police.
Giani Raghbir Singh on June 10 recorded his statement before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the 2015 Behbal Kalan police firing which had claimed the lives of two anti-sacrilege protesters. "Incorporating the proceedings of the Akal Takht into police records and offering to testify regarding them before the police administration is condemnable," Giani Ranjit Singh said.
He urged officiating Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargajj to summon Giani Raghbir Singh to the Akal Takht, tie him to a beri tree, award him religious punishment and excommunicate him from the Sikh Panth. He said if Giani Raghbir Singh had any personal dispute with Badal, he could have pursued it in his individual capacity.
"Such conduct must be addressed firmly to reaffirm that the proceedings of Akal Takht cannot be incorporated into police records or used as evidence in legal proceedings. Doing so is highly objectionable and amounts to a direct challenge to the sanctity, independence, and authority of Akal Takht —something the Khalsa Panth cannot accept," he said.
The controversy highlights the ongoing tension between religious authority and legal processes in Punjab. The Akal Takht is the highest temporal seat of Sikhism, and its proceedings are traditionally considered confidential within the community. The use of such records in a police investigation has sparked debate about the boundaries between religious discipline and civil law.
Giani Ranjit Singh's demand for excommunication underscores the severity with which some Sikh leaders view this breach. The SIT is investigating the 2015 firing incident, which occurred during protests against the desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib. Sukhbir Singh Badal was given a tankhah for his alleged role in the incidents that led to the protests.
As the matter unfolds, the Sikh community awaits a response from the officiating Jathedar of Akal Takht. The case raises important questions about the independence of religious institutions and their interaction with state authorities.
