The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandak Committee (SGPC) has appointed Giani Raghbir Singh as the new Jathedar of Akal Takht, one of the five takhts or seats of power of Sikhs. Akal Takht, located in Punjab’s Amritsar, is the highest seat of temporal power for Sikhs. According to SGPC, Giani Harpreet Singh, who had been the acting Jathedar of Akal Takht for the past four and a half years, has resigned from his additional charge. But he will continue to serve as the Jathedar of Takht Damdama Sahib. “SGPC has appointed Giani Raghbir Singh as the new Akal Takht Jathedar,” said SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami after the SGPC executive committee meeting convened on Friday. Regarding the new appointment, Dhami stated that “Raghbir Singh is presently the Jathedar of Kesgarh Sahib. He will be the new Akal Takht Jathedar.” “Giani Harpreet Singh has resigned from the additional charge of Akal Takht. It is not easy to leave such a significant post, but he has set an example. We respect him for this. He will continue as the Jathedar of Takht Damdma Sahib. I have talked to him over the phone,” Dhami said. Meanwhile, Giani Sultan Singh has been appointed the Jathedar of Takht Kesgarh Sahib, replacing Giani Raghubir Singh. Giani Harpreet had come under fire from Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leadership for attending the engagement ceremony of AAP leader Raghav Chadda. This incident has provided anti-Jathedar factions with an opportunity to escalate their efforts to remove Giani Harpreet Singh from his position. But sources said that was not supposed to be the primary reason behind the confrontation between him and SGPC. A section of SAD leaders openly came out against Giani Harpreet Singh for not taking action against officials of the Haryana Gurdwaras Management Committee. Giani Harpreet Singh had managed to gain the trust of a significant section of Sikhs after becoming the acting Jathedar.
