Amritsar, Sep 5 (PTI) Senior Akali leader and former Punjab minister Bikram Singh Majithia appeared before the Akal Takht on Thursday and submitted his clarification to the highest temporal seat of the Sikhs.
His clarification came days after the Akal Takht declared Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal ‘tankhaiya’ — guilty of religious misconduct — for the “mistakes” committed by his party and the party’s government from 2007 to 2017.
Majithia, who was a minister in the erstwhile Akali government, arrived at the Akal Takht on Thursday.
Akal Takht Jathdear Giani Raghbir Singh was not present and Majithia gave his written clarification to the Jatehdar’s personal assistant.
On August 30, the Akal Takht declared Sukhbir Badal ‘tankhaiya’. A day later, Badal appeared before it and sought an apology.
Besides Badal, his former Cabinet colleagues Daljit Singh Cheema, Gulzar Singh Ranike, Sharanjit Singh Dhillon and Mahesh Inder Grewal, who was the adviser to the then chief minister, also submitted their written explanations to the Akal Takht.
The Akal Takht Jathedar had asked Badal to appear before the supreme temporal seat of the Sikhs within 15 days to seek an apology for the decisions he took as the deputy chief minister and as the SAD chief that deeply harmed the image of the ‘Panth’ and caused damage to Sikh interests.
The members of the Sikh community who served as ministers in the Akali government from 2007-17 had also been directed to appear at the Akal Takht in person to submit their written explanation in 15 days.
Rebel SAD leaders, including former MP Prem Singh Chandumajra and ex-Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) chief Bibi Jagir Kaur, had appeared before the Jathedar on July 1 and sought forgiveness for “four mistakes” committed during the party’s government between 2007 and 2017.
The rebel leaders, referring to the 2015 sacrilege incidents, said the then government could not ensure punishment to the guilty.
The incidents related to the theft of a ‘bir’ (copy) of the Guru Ganth Sahib, putting up handwritten sacrilegious posters and torn pages of the holy book found scattered at Bargari, had taken place in Faridkot in 2015 when the Shiromani Akali Dal was in power.
During the anti-sacrilege protests in Faridkot, two people were killed and several injured in police firing.
They also mentioned the 2007 blasphemy case registered against Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh for allegedly imitating the 10th Sikh Guru Gobind Singh.
Badal allegedly used his influence to ensure that the Dera chief was pardoned in the blasphemy case, they said.
In 2015, the Akal Takht pardoned the Dera chief based on a written apology.
However, bowing to pressure from the Sikh community and hardliners, it annulled its decision. PTI JMS CHS IJT IJT
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