E-Paper
Uniform Civil Code against spirit of Constitution, says SGPC after executive meet
SGPC prez Dhami says any challenge to independent existence, separate identity, and maryada of Sikhs will not be accepted
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Saturday lodged a strong protest on behalf of the Sikh community against the proposed Uniform Civil Code (UCC).
After a discussion on the Uniform Civil Code in the SGPC’s executive committee meeting presided over by SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami, it was decided that there was no need for UCC when the Constitution recognizes the principle of unity in diversity.
Dhami, after the meeting, said, “There is an apprehension among the minorities in the country regarding the Uniform Civil Code. We fear that UCC will hurt our identity, originality, and principles. On the issue of UCC, the SGPC has constituted a sub-committee of Sikh intellectuals, historians, scholars, and lawyers, which at the preliminary stage considered the UCC as suppression for the existence of minorities, their religious rites, traditions, and culture”.
He said as per the opinion of this sub-committee, the SGPC executive committee has expressed strong opposition against the UCC.
Dhami said any challenge to Sikh principles, traditions, values, lifestyle, culture, independent existence and distinct entity of Sikhs can never be accepted and the Sikh Maryada (code of conduct) cannot be tested by the worldly law. “Therefore, the Sikh community opposes the UCC. The 21st Law Commission had also rejected the UCC terming it as neither desirable nor feasible”, he said.
SGPC to pursue case against Tytler
Dhami said SGPC will pursue the case against Congress leader Jagdish Tytler who is accused of murdering three Sikhs at Pulbangash Gurdwara in Delhi in 1984.
Dhami said the CBI has filed a chargesheet in the court against Tytler, and the fees of the lawyers fighting this case will be paid by the SGPC. DHami claimed that SGPC was forced to step in to pursue the case after the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) backed out.
Old saroops to be digitised
Dhami said the committee also approved setting up a project to digitise the old handwritten holy saroops (scriptures) of Guru Granth Sahib at Gurdwara Goindwal Sahib. He said old handwritten holy saroops of Sri Guru Granth Sahib arriving for the last rites at Goindwal Sahib, will be identified and digitised under this project. This decision has been taken from the perspective of preserving the old valuable Sikh heritage.
Meanwhile, the SGPC president also said a 5-member committee has been formed to consider the representations by the suspended employees in the case of administrative irregularities at Langar (community kitchen) Sri Guru Ramdas Ji.
About Gurbani Kirtan broadcast from the Golden Temple, Dhami said the sub-committee formed in this regard was working on it, and soon the entire outline and plan will be disclosed.
BOX:
Sikh bodies to debate on UCC on July 11
Various Sikh bodies under the banner of ‘The Sikh Collective” have called a convention on July 11 in Kisan Bhawan in Chandigarh to hold a debate over the Uniform Civil Code (UCC). “Scholars, religious activists, political leaders, legal experts and social activists will share their opinion and suggestions to be presented to the Union government”, said Prof Jagmohan Singh, the Sikh thinker, who is convening this convention.
