SGPC to meet Home Minister Amit Shah over amendment in Sikh Gurdwaras Act : The Tribune India

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SGPC to meet Home Minister Amit Shah over amendment in Sikh Gurdwaras Act

Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Harjinder Singh Dhami. Tribune Photo

Tribune News Service

Ravneet Singh

Patiala, June 29

Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Harjinder Singh Dhami today said the SGPC members will now meet Home Minister Amit Shah over state government’s amendment of Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925, which it (SGPC) had rejected during a general house meeting on Tuesday. He also urged the state governor to evaluate and look into its nitty-gritties before reaching a decision.

Harjinder Singh Dhami was in Patiala for the inauguration of a diwan hall at Gurdwara Bahadurgarh Sahib. Dhami said the SGPC will meet Home Minister Amit Shah over the matter. “We will gather like-mindedpanthikorganisations and meet the Home Minister over the matter,” he said.

He reiterated the state government should not interfere in the Sikhs’ internal religious affairs and added, “We have already rejected the state government’s amendment and have also explained the whole matter to the governor. The governor shouldlook into its nitty-gritties before reaching a decision, as the government’s step of amendment without seeking SGPC’s consent will set a precedent of carrying out unconstitutional amendments in various actsin future.”

He elaborated on the issue and said that even the Centre can’t carry out any amendments in the Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925, without the consent of two-third members of the SGPC.

He said, “Sikhs are not able to understand that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) led state government’s act of carrying out an amendment in theSikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925, without the SGPC’s consent is a direct interference in Sikh religious affairs. People are misinterpreting it as a matter of a selective news channel. This will set a wrong precedent of carrying out unconstitutional amendments and we are against it.”

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