The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Monday suspended its secretary (general administration) Partap Singh in connection with the sale of 2.2-kanal land belonging to historic Gurdwara Amb Sahib in Mohali. The SGPC probe panel found that the signatures, borne by the letter that authorised the gurdwara manager to sell the land, were that of the secretary, and not forged.
Speaking over phone, SGPC chief secretary and member Kulwant Singh Manan said, “We have got the signatures checked by experts. These have been found not fake. So, the probe panel recommended action against Partap Singh in its report submitted to SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami.”
Prior to this, the SGPC removed secretary (general administration) Partap Singh from the charge given to him under Section 85 (constitution of committees of management of certain gurdwaras) of the Sikh Gurdwara Act, 1925.
Earlier, SGPC office-bearers maintained that the signatures were forged. Notably, Partap Singh had turned complainant in the case. On his complaint, the Mohali police had registered an FIR against seven people, including gurdwara manager Rajinder Singh, for selling the land measuring 44 marlas (2.2 kanals) in Sainimajra village, IT City, Sector 101, for a negligible ₹1.32 crore using “fake” documents.
The FIR read, “The gurdwara manager, in connivance with the other co-accused, prepared a forged authority letter of the SGPC by putting the secretary’s fake signature. He did so to transfer rights to himself for executing the land registration, completed at the sub-registrar office in Mohali on December 2, 2025.”
{{/usCountry}}The FIR read, “The gurdwara manager, in connivance with the other co-accused, prepared a forged authority letter of the SGPC by putting the secretary’s fake signature. He did so to transfer rights to himself for executing the land registration, completed at the sub-registrar office in Mohali on December 2, 2025.”
{{/usCountry}}Notably, a few residents had written to the SGPC over a month ago, mentioning that no advertisement was issued for the land sale. They had stated that an open auction would have fetched several crores.
Earlier, SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami had clarified that no SGPC officer or gurdwara manager had the authority to sell any property related to a gurdwara on their own.