Gurdwara law panel calls SGPC meet

The commission also confirmed its earlier interim order restraining SGPC senior secretary Manjit Singh Calcutta from functioning in office till further orders subject to decision on a petition in this regard pending in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. A revision petition filed by counsel of Calcutta before the commission stood disposed off, the commission noted.

Fixing agenda for the February 10meeting, the commission chairman said the executive committee would discuss and sort out the dispute between Takht jathedars including that of Akal Takht, and decide on the appeal made by 131 SGPC members for withdrawal of hukamnama issued from Akal Takht on December 31, and the tercentenary celebrations of Khalsa.

The court directed SGPC secretary Surjit Singh to immediately send the agenda for the meeting to all members. And allowed taking up any other issue at the meeting with the permission of the SGPC president.

Earlier, resuming arguments, defence counsel Surjit Singh Sood said that commission could issue an interim order only if there is a clear prima facie case and irreparable damage is being done to the petitioners. He said no prima facie case was made out since SGPC president had already convened executive meeting on February 15.

The defence counsel said no special reason was given for the emergency meeting nor specific mention made in the application. He argued that request for8220;immediate8221; meeting couldn8217;t be interpreted as 8220;urgent8221; meeting. He said nobody could ask SGPC president to convene a meeting, which can be held only at the latter8217;s discretion.

The chairman of commission intervened to tell the defence counsel that he was challenging the powers of commission. He said it was for the commission to see the scope of its powers. A commotion prevailed in the court when an advocate Balbir Singh Hundal tried to interrupt defence counsel.

The counsel for petitioners, Jugraj Singh Pannu said the Sikhs watched helplessly as the infighting among jathedars and their statements against each other. And the commission should immediately call a executive committee meeting to sort out the issue.

He said the meeting held by Tohra on December 16 last was breach of trust. He produced a copy of a newspaper clipping from Ajit8217; in which Tohra8217;s statement on the cancellation of meeting was published. He said it was due to this news item that ten executive members did not participate inthat meeting in which Calcutta was appointed.

The defence counsel later alleged that the court had refused to supply certified copy of the order, which they would challenge in the high court.

The Secretary of the SGPC has also been directed to report back with a detailed report on the minutes of the meeting to the commission on February 15.

The commission did not pass any judgment on the February 15 meeting which had already been convened by Tohra.

The commission did not also comment on that portion of the petition which sought the removal of Tohra, SGPC acting president Sukhdev Singh Bhaur and three other executive committee members from their posts.

The Sikh Gurdwara Judicial Commission will tomorrow here hear the petition filed by SGPC member Saroop Singh Dhesi, in which he had demanded disqualification of ten executive members of SGPC on the grounds of their being patit8217; who is not practising Sikhism. He had made all the Badal loyalists and SGPC executive members respondents in thispetition.