Budget row: Judicial commission imposes fund rider on gurdwara panel
Allowed to undertake only routine expenses | Setback to Jhinda
In a setback to the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC) chief, Jagdish Singh Jhinda, the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Judicial Commission has restricted the committee from making capital expenditure without the permission of the commission.
The HSGMC is only allowed to undertake routine expenses for the gurdwaras and the institutions attached to the committee.
The orders have come after Gurmeet Singh, senior vice president of the committee, approached the commission, accusing the committee chief of making claims related to passing the budget of the committee, despite not having the required quorum in the meeting. The commission had, on January 16, summoned the chief along with members and the chief secretary.
The commission said as per its directions, the copies of the proceedings register of the meeting held on January 7 had been supplied, however the CCTV footage of all cameras of Dewan Hall, Gurdwara Patshahi Chhevin, for January 7 and 8, had not been supplied.
As per information, in the proceedings register, the signatures of 33 members were shown. The counsel for the petitioner pleaded that on January 7, 17 members were holding a separate meeting at Gurdwara Nada Sahib, Panchkula, but even among them, the signatures of two members had been procured by respondents by pressurising them later. Signatures of two other members were obtained prior and after the meeting.
As per the order, the manager of Gurdwara Nada Sahib, has been directed to produce the CCTV footage of January 7. The commission also ordered that every member of the committee is entitled to inspect the record and no official of the committee will refuse any member to inspect the record, and provide monthly statements of accounts to the members.
It was further ordered, that in case of tampering with the CCTV footage, the chief secretary and the gurdwara manager will be held accountable.
Senior vice president of HSGMC Gurmeet Singh said the commission had ordered the committee not to make any capital expenditure from the funds of the gurdwara committee without the permission of the commission. Funds could be spent only for routine expenses of gurdwaras and institutions attached to the committee, subject to the condition that the monthly statement of the expenditure would be supplied to the members before the 10th of every month.
The matter will next come for hearing on January 29.
