SGPC writes to Centre,seeks notification to elect office bearers

The SGPC had made a similar request to the Home Minister on January 11,this year,as well. Now,citing the Supreme Court order and underlining that as the board was running 111 educational institutes and management of 78 gurdwaras,budgetary allocation was required to be made by passing the annual budget before March 31,the SGPC urged the Home Minister to issue a notification for the first meeting to elect its office bearers.

As many as 170 members of the 185 member house were elected directly in the September 2011 SGPC polls. Following this,15-members were co-opted in the board in December 5.

Shejdharis: SGPC on ventilator

Chandigarh: Claiming that the new Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) body has not received any relief from the Supreme Court in its appeal seeking directions to the Centre to hold its immediate meeting,the Sehajdhari Sikh Party on Monday said that the new body is “on ventilator”.

The SGPC had moved Supreme Court challenging the Punjab and Haryana High Court judgment,which had restored voting rights of Sehajdhari Sikhs in SGPC elections. The February 17 order of the Supreme Court had stated: “Meanwhile,petitioner Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee,for which a notification has been issued by the central government on December 17,2011,will continue to function as it has been hitherto functioning from the date of its constitution.”

While addressing mediaspersons on Monday,Sehajdhari Sikh Party president Dr P S Ranu said that the apex court has only issued notices and not passed any direction to hold the meeting. The order,Ranu claimed had been “misinterpreted” by the Akali leadership.

“The Supreme Court has only ordered that the newly constituted body will function till the next date of hearing as it was since December 17,2011 and it had not passed any direction in favour of the SGPC to hold a meeting.” Ranu added that fresh elections should be held and the newly constituted SGPC body be disbanded.

On February 17,the Supreme Court had issued notices to the Sehajdhari Sikh Federation and asked it to respond within six weeks on the SLP filed by SGPC.