Amritsar: The executive committee of the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabhandak Committee (SGPC) held an emergency meeting at Amritsar today and accepted the resignation of Giani Gurbachan Singh as SGPC appointed Jathedar of Akal Takht Sahib. The executive committee decided to appoint Giani Harpreet Singh as ‘acting jathedar’ of Akal Takht Sahib. His appointment comes as an additional charge for Giani Harpreet Singh as has he also works as SGPC appointed Jathedar of Takht Damdama Sahib, Talwandi Sabo.
Various Sikh organizations had already declared to reject the process being adopted by the SGPC to appoint Jathedars.
The World Sikh Parliament (WSP) which endorses the appointment of acting Jathedars that was announced on November 10, 2015 during a Panthic gathering at village Chabba, has termed the resignation of Giani Gurbachan Singh as a ‘darama’. In a written statement (already published on SSN) the WSP said that Giani Gurbachan Singh was rejected as Jathedar by the Sikh masses in November 2015 therefore his resignation was a meaning less drama.
The Panthic Assembly that concluded yesterday also told the SGPC to abstain from appointing Jathedar on its own and without developing due procedure with the consent of Panthic bodies (Read Pathic Assembly).
The SGPC under the control of SAD (Badal) has lowered the stature of the Jathedars as a result the reputation of this post has suffered degradation in past two decades.