From missing Birs to Gurbani broadcast rights: A CA’s arrest puts Sukhbir Singh Badal link under spotlight

“SGPC House is controlled by Sukhbir Singh Badal. He owns the PTC channel. Kohli was given rights to distribute Gurbani despite knowing that he declined to obey the Sri Akal Takht Sahib directive, which required him to return 75 per cent of what the SGPC paid him,” Khiala told The Indian Express.

The SGPC had hired Kohli’s firm, S S Kohli & Associates, for internal audits in 2009. In 2020, following a probe, the firm was removed as the SGPC’s internal auditor on the orders of the Sri Akal Takht Sahib after Kohli’s alleged negligence allowed the mishandling of the Birs to go undetected. The SGPC also ordered 75 per cent recovery of payments, amid claims that over Rs 10 crore had been paid to the firm in 11 years.

Passing the buck

According to the PTC Punjabi Canada website, Gurbaz Punjabi Media Inc has the exclusive rights to distribute PTC Punjabi in Canada “to help reach the globally recognized #1 Punjabi Television Channel to every Punjabi household in Canada”.

When asked about Sarchand’s claim that Kohli was the director of Gurbaz Punjabi Media Inc, SGPC general secretary Sher Singh Mandela said, “I am not aware of such information.”

PTC CEO Harpreet Singh Sahni also said he was unaware of the matter, adding, “Our international director Narinder Pal Singh can provide the information.”

Narinder Pal Singh, however, denied any knowledge. “I am not concerned with this information. I have only editorial responsibilities. Sahni will have this information,” he said.

Sukhbir Singh Badal has yet to respond to queries on his alleged links with Kohli.

Hiring and payment controversies

Kohli’s January 15, 2009, appointment for SGPC audit computerisation and internal audit—Rs 3.5 lakh monthly—had drawn instant flak as it was seen as being politically motivated due to his links to Badal.

In October 2009, Baldev Singh Sirsa (now an Akali Dal Panj Pardhani member) challenged it before the Sikh Gurdwara Judicial Commission. “Appointment was illegal as per SGPC rules—posts above Rs 7,000 salary must be advertised. SGPC had three internal auditors and a government auditor already. Commission had sacked Kohli briefly. He was again hired after following the procedure; however, it was a cover-up,” Sirsa alleged.

“A Rajpura firm offered to train SGPC staff for one year cheaply, but it was ignored. Kohli became a Rs 1 crore annual burden with no result,” SGPC member Karnail Singh Panjoli recalled.

Tensions peaked on July 11, 2014, when then SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar sacked Kohli for “misuse of power” and questioned huge payments. However, Kohli was reinstated the next day, allegedly due to Badal’s pressure.

On July 11, 2018, the Punjab government-hired CA Harpal Singh (H S & Company) wrote to the SGPC president, flagging internal audit flaws. He alleged that the SGPC secretary acted as Kohli’s employee, while the staff withheld files and obstructed cooperation. “Many required files were not produced for the external audit, as mandated under the Gurdwara Act,” the letter noted.

What the 2020 probe found

In 2020, Punjab Human Rights Organisation activist Sarabjit Singh Verka alleged that the SGPC had hidden the destruction of 267 Birs in a 2016 fire at its publication department. A subsequent probe found that Kohli’s firm allegedly failed to detect ledger tampering and unrecorded sales, and that no audits were held since the 2016 fire—flaws that allowed more 186 Birs to be printed without permission using leftover raw material.

The report, submitted on August 23, 2020, slammed Kohli’s firm for “great dishonesty and negligence.” It noted that uncovering the scandal over the missing Birs would have required nothing more than a routine internal audit. Investigators also allegedly found repeated tampering in the ledgers, which went unchecked by Kohli despite his firm’s pre‑audit assurances. Of the 328 Birs published with official permission, none could be traced, while 186 were sold without proper billing. The private audit team, the report added, had failed to detect such irregularities for years.

SGPC actions under cloud

Though the SGPC has moved against Kohli on paper, his links with the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal), which has a majority in the SGPC elected House, have led to its intentions being questioned.

The Akal Takht had ordered that money be recovered from Kohli, but he has yet to do so.

Allegations of Kohli’s close links with Badal came to the fore again after his arrest, with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Balraj Pannu alleging that he was arrested from a room booked in the name of a person connected to a private news channel linked to Badal.

SGPC sources said the latest developments were an indication that the government was actually targeting Badal. “Kohli is close to Sukhbir Badal. If the government wants to recover something from Kohli, that could help it to register a disproportionate assets case against Badal,” a source said.