Cabinet approves ordinance to amend Haryana Sikh Gurdwaras Act

The ordinance which will be promulgated by the governor provides for constituting an ad-hoc committee on more than one occasion if the elected committee to manage the Haryana gurdwaras could not be constituted

: The Haryana cabinet on Wednesday approved an ordinance to amend the Haryana Sikh Gurdwaras (Management) Act.

Cabinet approves ordinance to amend Haryana Sikh Gurdwaras Act

The ordinance which will be promulgated by the governor provides for constituting an ad-hoc committee on more than one occasion if the elected committee to manage the Haryana gurdwaras could not be constituted.

The proposed amendment will help the state government settle the internecine struggle between Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC) president Baljit Singh Daduwal and his predecessor Jagdish Singh Jhinda for the control of the Sikh body.

It will also facilitate smooth transfer of assets of 48 SGPC controlled gurdwaras to Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC). Since the state legislature is not in session, the state government decided to bring an ordinance to facilitate the transition.

Section 16 (8) of the Act provides for the constitution of a 41-member ad-hoc committee by the state government to manage, supervise and take over all the assets of the gurdwaras till elections are held and a new committee is constituted. The ad-hoc committee put in place by way of nomination, however, cannot function for more than 18 months.

An official spokesperson said that since there are no provisions in the act with regards to the recourse to be taken when the elections are not held and the new committee is not constituted within a period of 18 months, an amendment is required in the act.

The ad-hoc committee was constituted in 2014 after the act came into being. However, following a challenge to the act, the Supreme Court had on August 7, 2014 ordered that status quo with regard to Haryana gurdwaras must be maintained. Due to the SC order, elections could not be held for eight years to constitute a regular committee to run the affairs of Haryana gurdwaras.

“The proposed amendment empowers the government to nominate a member of the committee or the ad-hoc committee as patron,” an official spokesperson said.

Following an apex court judgment upholding the validity of the HSGMC Act, a total of 52 gurdwaras will come under the control of HSGMC. These include eight historical gurdwaras, 17 gurdwaras having annual income of more than ₹ 20 lakhs and 27 gurdwaras having annual income of less than ₹ 20 lakhs, as per the schedule I,II and III of the act. Right now, only four gurdwaras are under HSGMCs control.