Amid Akal Takht vs CM Bhagwant Mann, a look at Jathedar role in turbulent panthic politics

The Akal Takht Jathedar’s edict came amid an escalating confrontation between the Sikh clergy and the AAP government over the recently enacted anti-sacrilege law in the run-up to the Assembly elections slated in February 2027. Jathedar Gargaj maintained that the video in question was genuine and not an AI creation.

Back in 2017, the Akal Takht had excommunicated Sucha Singh Langah, a Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and former Punjab minister, after an alleged video went viral and he was booked in a rape case. In July 2018, a Gurdaspur court acquitted him of all charges. However, when Langah appeared before the Akal Takht seeking atonement subsequently, he did not use his court acquittal in his defence.

Keeping in view adverse public opinion, Langah admitted his “moral failing” unconditionally before the Akal Takht and sought pardon. He had to wait four years before the Akal Takht ended his excommunication, only after public anger against him subsided.

The Akal Takht is the highest temporal seat of Sikhs, which was established by the sixth Sikh Guru, Guru Hargobind Sahib. Langah faced its crackdown even as the SAD has continued to dominate the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) – the appointing authority of the Akal Takht Jathedar.

In August 2024, the Akal Takht declared even SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal “tankhaiya” or guilty of violating the Sikh religious code for the “mistakes” made by him as the deputy chief minister and party chief from 2007 to 2017.
After being summoned, Badal appeared before the Akal Takht on December 2, 2024, where he admitted that he had influenced its former Jathedar Gurbachan Singh to pardon Gurmeet Ram Rahim.

In September 2015, the then Akal Takht Jathedar Gurbachan Singh had pardoned the Dera Sacha Sauda chief, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, for his alleged 2007 act of sacrilege against Guru Gobind Singh. The pressure from sections of the Sikh community later forced Gurbachan Singh to revoke his own decision.

While the row damaged Gurbachan Singh’s image, it did not dent the credibility of the Akal Takht.

When anti-SGPC groups convened a Sarbat Khalsa – a grand assembly of Sikhs – in Amritsar on November 10, 2015, they appointed a Sikh militant, Jagtar Singh Hawara, who was then incarcerated in a prison, as a parallel Akal Takht Jathedar. Hawara’s acting representative, Dhian Singh Mand, emerged as a key voice of the Akal Takht, while Gurbachan Singh was seen to have lost his authority despite holding the office.

Mand launched the Bargari Morcha in June 2018, which succeeded in forcing the then Captain Amarinder Singh-led Congress government to reopen investigations into 2015 sacrilege cases and the Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan police firings, in which two Sikh protesters had been killed.

The SGPC eventually removed Gurbachan Singh in 2018 and appointed Giani Harpreet Singh as the acting Akal Takht Jathedar, even as Mand remained popular.
Harpreet Singh engaged with ordinary Sikh people. He took positions that often echoed the community’s sentiments. This led to Mand’s influence fading as Harpreet Singh gained legitimacy and popularity.

Harpreet vs Mann

Harpreet Singh later had a conflict with the Bhagwant Mann government on several issues. The government revoked his security. However, his rising influence within the community eventually put him at odds even with the SAD.

The SGPC replaced him with a low-profile priest, Giani Raghubir Singh, who went on to declare Sukhbir Badal “tankhaiya” in 2024, even forcing him to resign as the SAD president.

Last year, in March, the SGPC removed Raghubir Singh from his office, appointing Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj as the new acting Akal Takht Jathedar.

Gargaj vs AAP govt

While Giani Gargaj’s appointment was initially disapproved by some quarters, he started gaining recognition swiftly, reaching out to even anti-SAD outfits like the SAD (Amritsar) and the Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De).

He has been vocal on various Sikh issues. He was even seen to have mobilised opposition against certain clauses of the anti-sacrilege legislation passed by the Mann government in April this year, when the SGPC and the SAD had also welcomed the law seen as a political masterstroke by the AAP dispensation.

Giani Gargaj’s moves seem to have gained traction across parties. His edict against CM Mann has drawn support from the Opposition parties including the Congress, BJP and Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De) besides the SAD, with the row set to heat up state politics ahead of the Assembly polls.