17 HSGMC members seek Jhinda's ouster, serve 15-day notice

A major rift has emerged within the newly elected body of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC) as 17 of its members have signed a notice seeking committee president Jagdish Singh Jhinda's resignation. The members, who had reportedly supported Jhinda when he was elected, served him a 15-day ultimatum to resign from the post, citing serious allegations of financial irregularities, violation of statutory provisions and misuse of authority.

Jhinda, however, refused to comment on the allegations, saying he had not received any notice by the members.

HSGMC senior vice-president Gurmeet Singh Ramsar said a meeting of the members was organised at Kalka on Saturday evening, in which five out of 11 members of the executive body also participated. “All members levelled serious allegations against Jhinda about misusing the funds and not properly discharging his duty,” said Ramsar.

“We have asked Jhinda to resign from the post as he is misusing his post. We have sent the copy of our resolution to HSGMC headquarters in Kurukshetra, the Haryana Gurdwara Election Commission, Chief Principal Secretary, Haryana, and others informing them about our decision,” said Ramsar.

“The notice has been issued under the provision of sub-section 17(2)(c) of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwaras (Management) Act, 2014, in which all members raised concerns about gross violations of the Act. President Jhinda has been taking decisions without the approval of the executive committee. The  gurdwara funds are being misused,” he alleged.

The members unanimously declared him “unworthy” of continuing in his post. In the notice, they demanded a special meeting of the house on October 7, 2025, on the issue at Gurdwara Patshahi Chevin, Kurukshetra, or in the sub-office of the committee at Nada Sahib Gurdwara, Panchkula. In this meeting, a formal resolution to remove the president from his post would be tabled and voted upon. The president had been asked to attend the meeting. The proceedings would go ahead even in his absence, said Ramsar.

HSGMC former president Jathedar Baljeet Singh Daduwal also accused Jhinda of misleading the Sikh community. “Jhinda is misleading the community members by baseless statements on a daily basis. He is misusing the funds of gurdwaras,” he alleged.

Refusing to comment on the allegations, Jhinda said some people wanted to elect a person who could not win in the HSGMC elections. “I do not like to reply to the allegations levelled by such people,” he said. About the notice, he said he was yet to receive any notice.

The Sikh community in Haryana had directly elected 40 HSGMC members, which resulted in fractured mandate. The newly elected members include 22 independents, nine from the Panthak Dal (Jhinda), six from the SAD-affiliated Haryana Sikh Panthak Dal, and three from the Sikh Samaj Sanstha led by Didar Singh Nalvi. The house had later co-opted nine members, taking the number of the house to 49. Of the 49 members, around 30 members had elected Jhinda as president.