India News | 11-member Panel to Be Set Up for Management of State Gurdwaras Till HSGMC Poll: Khattar

Chandigarh/Kurukshetra, Dec 13 (PTI) An 11-member committee will be formed for management of gurdwaras in the state till elections to the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee are held, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar Tuesday said.

During a meeting with members of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management ad hoc Committee in Chandigarh for setting up a separate panel, Khattar said the Sikh community of Haryana desired that the funds of state gurudwaras be spent in the state only and should not be under the control of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC).

Also Read | BJP MP Kirodi Lal Meena Seeks End to Availing of Reservation Benefits by ST People Who Have Converted to Another Religion.

Jathedar Baljit Singh Daduwal Tuesday resigned from the presidentship of the ad hoc committee. According to Jagdish Singh Jhinda, the former president of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (HSGPC), Daduwal announced his resignation after Khattar said an 11-member panel would be set up till elections are held.

According to an official statement, Khattar said the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara (Management) Act was enacted in 2014 which was later challenged in court. But the apex court later upheld its constitutional validity, he said.

Also Read | India-China Clash in Tawang: Not 1962 Anymore, Indian Soldiers Will Give Befitting Reply, Says Arunachal Pradesh CM Pema Khandu.

Notably, the Supreme Court had earlier this year upheld the constitutional validity of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara (Management) Act, 2014 under which there is a provision for a 41-member ad hoc panel to look after affairs of gurdwaras till a committee is constituted for it through elections.

The chief minister announced that now an 11-member executive committee will be constituted for the Haryana Gurdwara Management Committee, which will have five office bearers and six members. This committee will look after the administrative management of all 52 historical Gurdwaras in Haryana, Khattar said.

He further stated that the 41-member committee is temporary till the elections are conducted.

The responsibility of the election has been given to the deputy commissioner of Kurukshetra. Firstly, the voter list of Sikhs of Haryana will be prepared. This process is expected to take six months. The headquarters of the Haryana Gurdwara Management Committee will be in Kurukshetra only, according to the statement.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)