Akal Takht pronounced religious punishments (tankhah) for former jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh, senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and former MLA Virsa Singh Valtoha, Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) vice-chancellor Karamjit Singh, linguist Jaswant Singh, and preacher Harinder Singh.
The punishments were issued during a meeting of the Sikh clergy, led by Akal Takht officiating jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj. The order pronounced following services to be performed by Giani Gurbachan Singh at Sri Harmandir Sahib langar hall; washing utensils and cleaning footwear for one hour daily; serve two days at Sri Darbar Sahib Tarn Taran, and one day each at Takht Damdama Sahib and Takht Kesgarh Sahib, performing the same sewa. Recite prescribed prayers for 11 days and offer Rs 1,100 for karah prasad and deposit Rs 1,100 in the Golak before a forgiveness ardas is performed. Valtoha accepted the religious punishment.
Former Akal Takht jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh also publicly sought forgiveness for pardoning Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim in September 2015, a decision that triggered widespread anger in the Sikh community. He was ordered to perform two days of ‘langar sewa’ at Harmandar Sahib; recite prescribed prayers for two days and offer ₹1,100 as ‘karah prasad’ before the forgiveness ‘ardas’.
The decision came just hours after Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee President Advocate Harjinder Singh Dhami has described the Punjab Aam Aadmi Party government’s leadership as blatant interference in Sikh institutions in the sit-in by some organizations over the issue of 328 sacred copies of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. He said that the participation and directives of Punjab government representatives in the sit-in on this old issue are completely politically motivated. Advocate Dhami said that the Punjab government should stop dreaming that it will run Sikh institutions as per its wishes.
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