AMRITSAR, FEBRUARY 2: Ignoring pleas from senior Akali Dal members to find an amicable solution to his tussle with the Sikh Gurdwarara Prabandhak Committee, Akal Takht jathedar Giani Puran Singh on Wednesday declared ten SGPC executive members tankhaiyas (religious offenders).All 14 members, except ex-communicated SGPC chief Bibi Jagir Kaur, who appeared before the jathedar at the takht in the Golden Temple complex this morning, endorsed his January 25 hukamnama.The jathedar said Bibi Jagir Kaur could continue to head the SGPC but can resume functioning at the office only after appearing before the Akal Takht.The regimen under the two-day punishment order includes cleaning of utensils at the `langar' (community kitchen) of the golden temple for an hour, listening to Gurbani at the Harmandir Sahib for an hour and reciting the `japji sahib' prayers five times a day. It comes to force from Wednesday.In his hukamnama issued from Guna in Madhya Pradesh, the jathedar had expelled Bibi Jagir Kaur from the Sikh Panth for defying an earlier edict of the takht restraining her and the executive from going ahead with the implementation of the controversial Nanakshahi calander. Today the jathedar issued the fresh hukamnama making no reference to the SGPC chief. Only at a press conference held later, did he speak about Bibi Jagir Kaur. ``She will not be pardoned until she appeared before the Akal Takht. She cannot continue to function as SGPC president,'' he said, but added that he had not sought her resignation from the presidentship.The penalised SGPC members, on completion of obeying the punishment, would offer karaha parshad at the Harmandir Sahib on February four. This would be followed by the jathedar offering them ardas at the takht to ``relieve them of their sins''.The punishment order was issued after a brief meeting the jathedar had with four top priests. Those awarded the tankha were SGPC general secretary Hardalbir Singh Shah, Joga Singh, Joginder Singh, Raghujit Singh Virk, bhagwant Singh, harbans Singh manjpur, jagdheer Singh, gurbax Singh, subba Singh and Pritam Singh Bhatia. All of them, who were made to stand before the jathedar when the edict was announced, accepted the order with folded hands.The jathedar, after issuing the order, went into a huddle with the executive members for an hour. The meeting reportedly witnessed repeated pleas by the members seeking a pardon for their president, but the jathedar was unmoved. ``She has challenged the authority of the Akal Takht. That cannot be tolerated,'' he said. Earlier, reading out the hukamnama from atop the takht building, the jathedar, seated alongwith the four priests, said the ten members were found guilty of violating his earlier edict by attending a meeting chaired by Bibi Jagir Kaur in December.The meeting on December 23 had decided to celebrate the gurupurb, birthday of Guru Gobind Singh, on January five as per the date on Nanakshahi calender. On the contrary, the jathedar himself had asked all Sikhs to celebrate the birthday on January 14, in accordance with the traditional bikrami calender.Reacting to Wednesday's hukamnama, senior SGPC vice-president Balbir Singh Pannu said: ``We accept the jathedar's decision with all humility. The Akal Takht is supreme for all Sikhs.''Pannu, who has been eyeing the presidentship post ever since the ouster of Gurcharan Singh Tohra last year, said they also accepted the hukamnama passed by the jathedar last month ex-communicating Bibi Jagir Kaur. ``The appearance of the executive before the jathedar is in itself an acknowledgement of his hukamanama,'' he added.Pannu declined to comment on the absence of Bibi Jagir Kaur today. ``You better ask her,'' was all he would say.He, however, categorically stated that there was no move to oust the SGPC chief and recalled that the jathedar in his hukamanama had not made such a demand.
