Amritsar: It’s been 40 years since the army carried out Operation Bluestar at the Golden Temple, the holiest shrine of the Sikhs, but the community’s fight for justice is still on with the SGPC’s ₹1,000-crore damages suit yet to be settled.
The suit against the Union government was filed in the Delhi high court in March 1985 by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) under its then president, Gurcharan Singh Tohra. According to the court’s instructions, efforts were made for an out-of-court settlement, but they have borne no result so far.
In the run-up to the operation’s 39th anniversary, the issue was discussed at the meeting between then Union home minister Amit Shah and a delegation led by SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami on June 3, 2023, in New Delhi. The meeting was held after fresh instructions of the court to both parties to resolve the matter through a dialogue.
The SGPC delegation put the ball in the court of the Centre, seeking a proposal from Shah. The SGPC planned to take up the proposal with members of the Sikh community before deciding on the matter. “However, so far we have not received any communique from the Centre. There has been no further progress on the out-of-court settlement front,” Dhami said.
However, he said, court proceedings are on, too. “The problem is that many of the witnesses have died as it’s been 39 years since the case was filed. But we will continue our legal battle, he said.
{{/usCountry}}However, he said, court proceedings are on, too. “The problem is that many of the witnesses have died as it’s been 39 years since the case was filed. But we will continue our legal battle, he said.
{{/usCountry}}When contacted, advocate SS Ahluwalia, the son of SGPC counsel APS Ahluwalia, said, “The case is at the arguments stage.”
On the court’s direction, both sides — the Union government and SGPC — were ready to resolve the dispute out of court in 2019, though no meeting was held between the two sides. The decision of obeying the court was taken during Gobind Singh Longowal’s tenure as SGPC chief.
A section of Sikhs expressed disagreement with the move when the matter came to light through media reports in 2021. Fearing backlash from the community in case the settlement materialised after consulting Sikh scholars, the apex gurdwara body cancelled the decision during Jagir Kaur’s tenure. She went on to say, “The SGPC represents the quam (community) and is answerable to it. We will not strike any compromise until the Centre is brought to the katehra (court) and the legal system does not hold it guilty. We will ensure it is held guilty by the judiciary. Our purpose of filing the lawsuit is not to get compensation but to hold the Centre guilty.”
At present, the SGPC is keeping the option of dialogue open but is first seeking the government’s proposal.
The military action had not only damaged the Akal Takht building but also other buildings in the Golden Temple complex, including the Teja Singh Samundri Hall, which houses the SGPC headquarters. Except the Akal Takht that was demolished partially and rebuilt, bullet marks on other buildings have been preserved as evidence. Rare manuscripts of Guru Granth Sahib and other Sikh scriptures were also taken away by the army during the operation.