How the Akal Takht became a political tool

THE doctrine of miri-piri (co-existence of the spiritual and the temporal) is central to the Sikh philosophy. It envisages an ideal society. It means living in divine consciousness while attending to the mundane, everyday life. It makes a person see divinity in each being and consider reaching out to the needy as his divine duty. It holds the ruler responsible for doing his temporal duty in line with the spiritual and moral ethics. It definitely does not mean using religious institutions for individual political benefits.

Looking back at the history of Sikhs, the Akal Takht was the rallying point for the bickering Sikhs when confronted with a common enemy, the place where they became one, as the "Guru Khalsa Panth". In the 18th century, when the Sikhs were divided into small groups, they would fight with each other. Maharaja Ranjit Singh also fought smaller Sardars to consolidate his kingdom.

But no one went to the Akal Takht, seeking its intervention to resolve their differences. Rather, when they met for the Sarbat Khalsa on issues impacting the whole community, they would sort out their personal grudges before gathering at the Akal Takht.

The phenomenon of seeking the Akal Takht's intervention to sort out differences among parties with differing views and play a peace-broker started in the late 1970s.

Jathedar Jagdev Singh Talwandi, president of the Akali Dal, and jathedar Gurcharan Singh Tohra, president of the SGPC, called for separate meetings on October 10,1979 to elect the Akali Dal president. They sent in their resignations to the Akal Takht jathedar, seeking its intervention to unite them.

At that time, their resignations were sent back. The MLAs who had contested on the 'Panthic ticket' were asked to support CM Parkash Singh Badal and a seven-member committee headed by Sant Longowal was formed in view of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The committee was to "make adjustments" with other political parties and choose party candidates.

But before the seven-member committee could meet, Jiwan Singh Umranangal announced an alliance with the Janata Party in Ajnala. He was declared ‘tankhaiya’ and had to seek his forgiveness at the Akal Takht in November, 1979.

Thereafter, complaints about politically influential people began to come to the Akal Takht. However, the turning point was the period after Operation Bluestar in 1984.

Many Akali leaders were in jail. Sikhs' passions against the Indian government in general and Indira Gandhi in particular were high. At that juncture, the ‘Panj Piare’ at the Akal Takht stepped in to provide leadership. Gradually, the Akal Takht institution transformed into a tool in the power struggle for supremacy. Personal enmities and one-upmanship became the unwritten code for most of the complaints coming to the Takht. The court-style hearings gave the Takht the new name of ‘sarb-uch kacheri’ (supreme court) of the Sikhs.

This practice degenerated into interference in local issues and Punjab-based political statements. The ‘jathedar’ and the institution of the ‘Akal Takht’ became synonymous. As the political and religious ground began to slip from under the SGPC's feet, the Akal Takht was used to empower it. Religious issues that were handled by the Dharam Parchar Committee of the SGPC were referred to the Akal Takht jathedar.

On the issue of the Sirsa Dera Sacha Sauda's blasphemy, the SAD discarded any pretence of being a representative party of the Sikhs and went all out to use the Akal Takht for votes in the upcoming Punjab Assembly election. The panthak tradition was disregarded and a person who had not sought an apology was pardoned.

When the Sikhs stood up in defiance, the jathedars had to take back the ‘hukamnama’, thereby eroding its sanctity. The SAD kept losing ground among the Sikhs in various successive elections, till it became a ‘deposit-lost’ party.

The Akalis knew that the mistake they had committed was backfiring. So, in a damage-control bid, they went to Gurdwara Baba Gurbaksh Singh, which is situated behind the Akal Takht, and sought forgiveness for the sins committed "knowingly and unknowingly." It did not work.

Sukhbir Singh Badal, SAD chief, had to appear before the Akal Takht when a splinter group of the party went to the Akal Takht and admitted to being silent supporters of the SAD’s non-panthak decisions and sought its forgiveness. December 2, 2024 was the historic day when the unlikely happened. Sukhbir admitted to his mistakes.

It was generally believed that it had set the tone for SAD’s revival. Most of Sukhbir's detractors were willing to give him a chance. However, he messed up the chance by first undergoing ‘tankhah’ selectively and then trying to negotiate the hukamnama.

When that failed, it was time to target the jathedars personally. Giani Harpreet Singh became the first target because he is believed to have been the mastermind, though all five jathedars had taken the decision unanimously.

The Sikh tradition was again flouted. Not only was a shameful allegation made against him, no consideration was shown for the Sikh woman who is married to another man after divorce with the complainant for the last 18 years. Another young Sikh woman was targeted, alleging impropriety of attending a programme with Giani Harpreet Singh. Disgusting character assassination! Not long ago, strangers trusted Sikh men for the safety of their daughters.

The next on the agenda is to get Giani Harpreet Singh excommunicated from the Sikh Panth. For this, the tainted Giani Ranjit Singh, jathedar of the Patna Takht, is the front to lodge a complaint at the Akal Takht. An Akal Takht jathedar, Giani Raghbir Singh, has shown his disapproval with the SGPC regarding the dismissal of Giani Harpreet Singh.

Taking moral responsibility, SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami has chosen to resign. However, his offer to resign from the Akal Takht-constituted seven-member committee raises a question. Is he being pressured to choose between obeying the hukamnama and Sukhbir's diktat?

It is a classic case of the Akal Takht being used selectively for political reasons and "teaching a lesson" to those who do not conform to the Sukhbir group.

It is time for the Sikhs to raise a voice against the misuse of the Akal Takht institution and ask the Akalis to fight their battles on their own.