Amritsar, Feb 26: The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) executive body, led by President Harjinder Singh Dhami, has ordered the immediate retirement of Giani Raghbir Singh from his position as the Head Granthi of Sri Darbar Sahib. The decision was finalized during a special meeting held at the committee’s headquarters on Thursday.
The Sikh body convened the session after Giani Raghbir Singh failed to provide written evidence to substantiate corruption allegations he had leveled against the SGPC and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). These claims were originally made during a media interaction in Jalandhar on February 18, where he questioned the transparency of various land transactions.
SGPC President Harjinder Singh Dhami affirmed that the executive committee reached the decision after thorough deliberations. He stated that many serious allegations had been made against the former Jathedar of the Akal Takht, necessitating the administrative action. The move follows an ultimatum served by the SGPC on February 19, which requested proof of the religious leader’s claims.
Giani Raghbir Singh asserted that the decision was expected and linked the development to a previous religious verdict. He declared that the friction began when he awarded ‘tankhah’ (religious punishment) to SAD President Sukhbir Singh Badal and other party members in late 2024 for misconduct during their tenure between 2007 and 2017.
The retired Head Granthi had previously issued a counter-ultimatum on February 22, demanding a response to his own inquiries regarding the panel’s conduct. Despite this, the SGPC maintained that the lack of supporting evidence for his public statements led to the forced retirement.
