AMRITSAR, July 27 — A panel constituted by the Akal Takht has written to the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), seeking permission to conduct elections for the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president on August 11 at the Teja Singh Samundri Hall — the SGPC’s headquarters. The move has stirred tensions within the Panthic camp, putting the SGPC in a tight spot and drawing a strong rebuttal from the SAD.
“The panel holds no validity and does not exist for us after Dhami and Badungar distanced themselves from it,” said SAD spokesperson Daljit Singh Cheema on Saturday, dismissing the legitimacy of the Takht-appointed committee.
The SGPC, largely controlled by the SAD, now finds itself caught between loyalty to the temporal seat of Sikh authority and its political allegiance. Sources said the SGPC is wary of being seen as defying the Akal Takht. To navigate the crisis, it has convened an executive committee meeting on July 28 and a general house session on August 5 to deliberate on the matter and other related Panthic concerns.
The panel — comprising Satwant Kaur, Manpreet Singh Ayali, Santa Singh Umaidpuri, Gurpartap Singh Wadala, and Iqbal Singh Jhunda — was established through an Akal Takht edict issued on December 2 last year. It was mandated to oversee the SAD’s internal reorganisation, including a new membership drive and fresh organisational elections. However, the SAD refused to recognise the panel and proceeded with its own internal polls in April, re-electing Sukhbir Singh Badal as party president.
While the Akal Takht has not clarified its position on the status of the panel, two of its initial members — SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami and senior SAD leader Kirpal Singh Badungar — have already resigned from it.
The latest letter to the SGPC, delivered by panel member Satwant Kaur, revives the stalled debate around SAD’s internal reform and the Takht’s role in it. Yet the SAD remains firm on its stance. “Our delegation had already met the Akal Takht Jathedar and explained that, under the party’s constitution, only the working committee is empowered to elect the president,” said Cheema.
The SGPC’s upcoming meetings are likely to shape the response to this tug-of-war between tradition and political authority, as the Sikh leadership grapples with questions of legitimacy and institutional control.
