Terming recent Supreme Court verdict on Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC) a victory of Sikh bodies of the state, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar Friday said “when a separate Shiromani Gurdwara Management Committee can be formed for Patna Sahib and Delhi, then why the same cannot be done in Haryana?”. “Several gurdwaras in the state certainly have a special connection with many of our Sikh gurus as they at some point of time had visited these historical gurdwaras,” he said. A delegation of HSGMC and other Sikh bodies from main gurdwaras across the state Friday called upon Khattar to thank him over the issue. Former president of the HSGMC Jagdish Singh Jhinda, who was also part of the delegation, has been stating that the current government led by Khattar pursued the matter in the Supreme Court seriously. The SC on Tuesday had upheld the validity of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwaras (Management Act), 2014. The verdict has cleared the way for the HSGMC to control all gurdwaras in the state. Khattar said that the state government, while respecting the sentiments of the Sikhs, defended the formation of a separate gurdwara managing committee for Haryana in SC. The CM said that he was hopeful that the entire Sikh sangat will now work in the spirit of harmony and brotherhood, and will do its best in the interest of society.
