Chandigarh, Oct 3 (PTI) The Shiromani Akali Dal on Thursday decided to reinduct former minister Sucha Singh Langah into the party fold.
The decision was taken by SAD working president Balwinder Singh Bhundar following a request from Langah who had quit the SAD in 2017 over charges of raping a woman.
The SAD working president said on X that Langah, in a letter, told him that he had been acquitted of all charges by a court and sought another chance to serve the party.
“After considering the request in the light of the facts presented by him, it has been decided to give Sucha Singh Langah an opportunity to serve again as an ordinary worker of Shiromani Akali Dal,” said Bhundar in the post.
Langah was booked for rape and other charges in 2017. He was later ex-communicated by the Akal Takht from the Sikh community after being booked in the rape case.
However, the woman told the court that she lodged the complaint under pressure, leading to Langah’s acquittal in 2018.
In November 2022, the then jathedar of Akal Takht — the highest temporal seat of Sikhs — pronounced ‘tankhah’ (religious punishment as per Sikh tenets) to Langah. The religious punishment paved the way for the reinstatement of Langah in the Sikh fold.
Langah was a minister in the Akali governments in 1997-2002 and 2007-2012.
The reinduction of Langah comes amid a rebellion in the SAD.
A section of party leaders, including former MP Prem Singh Chandumajra and ex-Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee chief Bibi Jagir Kaur, had revolted against party chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, demanding that he step down following the SAD’s poor performance in the Lok Sabha elections in Punjab.
The Akal Takht on August 30 declared Badal ‘tankhaiya’ (guilty of religious misconduct) for the “mistakes” committed by his party and his government in the state from 2007 to 2017.
The action came after rebel SAD leaders appeared before the Akal Takht jathedar on July 1 and sought forgiveness for the “four mistakes” committed during the party’s 10-year rule in the state. PTI CHS RHL
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