Amritsar, Feb 13 (PTI) Akal Takht jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh on Thursday condemned the dismissal of services of Giani Harpreet Singh as the jathedar of Takht Sri Damdama Sahib.
The reaction of the jathedar of the highest temporal seat of Sikhs came three days after the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee ended the services of Giani Harpreet Singh.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, Giani Raghbir Singh wrote that the way Giani Harpreet Singh was removed was “highly condemnable” and “unfortunate” and also said it would harm the independent existence of the ‘Takht Sahibs’.
The jathedar said on December 2, 2024, the edict pronounced by the Akal Takht was in accordance with the “Panthic sentiments and traditions.” Giani Raghbir Singh, who is on a foreign tour, described the reasons and ways to remove Giani Harpreet Singh as not appropriate.
He said Giani Harpreet Singh was a victim of a media trial in an 18-year-old matter.
Giani Raghbir Singh said he earlier asked the SGPC that the formation of a probe panel against Giani Harpreet Singh was not right and reiterated that only the Akal Takht had the authority to probe any allegation against the jathedar of any takht.
Even then, removing Giani Harpreet Singh from the position is unfortunate, he said in his post.
On December 10, the SGPC dismissed the services of Giani Harpreet Singh as jathedar of Takht Sri Damdama Sahib in Bathinda.
The decision had come in the SGPC’s executive committee meeting.
The committee had accepted the report of the three-member committee, which was formed to probe the allegations against Giani Harpreet Singh.
Singh was facing allegations in a domestic dispute matter.
SGPC secretary Partap Singh had then said that the investigation had proven the allegations against Giani Harpreet Singh and the action had been taken by the executive committee with regards to the honour and dignity of the takht that had been hurt.
The Akal Takht on December 2 last year pronounced religious punishment for Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal and other leaders for the “mistakes” committed by the SAD and its government in Punjab from 2007 to 2017. PTI JMS CHS RHL
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