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SGPC elections: Harjinder Dhami asks poll panel chief to ensure registration of eligible Sikh voters
SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami submitted a letter to Justice Saron and asked him to take notice of votes being registered without verification by government officials during the ongoing registration process, ignoring the rules and demanded action against officials who indulged in irregularities.
A delegation of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) led by its president Harjinder Singh Dhami on Tuesday met chief commissioner, gurdwara elections, Justice (retired) SS Saron, asking him to ensure the registration of eligible Sikh voters for the SGPC elections in a transparent matter.
Dhami submitted a letter to Justice Saron and asked him to take notice of votes being registered without verification by government officials during the ongoing registration process, ignoring the rules and demanded action against officials who indulged in irregularities.
The last time elections were held in 2011, and the House became functional in 2016. Owing to a pending case in the Supreme Court challenging the rights of Sehajdhari Sikhs, taking over by the House elected in 2011 was delayed. The House then took over in 2016 after Parliament amended the Gurdwara Act 1925 putting its stamp over the denial of voting rights to Sehajdhari Sikhs.
Earlier, July 31 was the last date for enrolling as a voter, which has now been extended to September 16 this year.
Dhami said that Sikhs are complaining that the prescribed rules for voter registration for the gurdwara elections are being ignored. “Government employees are registering votes while ignoring the rules by picking up names from the voter lists of Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha,” said Dhami.
