Sunday March 09^th, 2008
Sikh scholars, legal brains and heads of Sikh socio-religious organizations unanimously passed a resolution reiterating that the Akal Takht was supreme and its supremacy and sovereignty cannot be challenged, compromised and questioned as was being done by certain vested interests.

At the same time, they expressed their desire to free jathedars of all the Five Takht from all political and legal bindings.

The occasion was the seminar organized by the Dal Khalsa in Amritsar on March 9 to discuss about the role, working sphere, status and appointments of the Takht jathedars. The speakers were vocal and went on to the extent in saying that the incumbents use and misuse the authority vested in them, the political leadership manouvres the religious heads –calling them head priests and employees of the SGPC as per the exigency of the situation.

They observed that the concepts of Sandesh, Gurmata and Hukamnama have become hazed over the years because of the manner in which edicts have been handed over in recent years –from the blatant interventionist to the utterly ridiculous and the politically motivated.

Delivering the key note address, the party president Satnam Singh said today's Seminar was the first in the series of 6 Seminars proposed to be held over the next year to go into the entire gamut of issues relating to the institution of the Akal Takht Sahib and its jathedar.

One of the resolutions read by H S Dhami stated that the institution of Akal Takht Sahib is a highest temporal authority of the Sikh nation and the devout Sikhs, irrespective of political leanings revere the institution. The gathering passed another resolution empowering the organizers to constitute a 'drafting committee' of Sikh scholars, experts and thinkers to fix norms for the post of the jathedar Akal Takht and other Takhts.

The names of the members of the proposed drafting committee would be finalized very soon, said Kanwar Pal Singh and added that the proposed draft would be submitted after due deliberations before the Akal Takht by 14 March 2009. He explained that that Dal Khalsa was constrained to take up this exercise as the SGPC had failed to do so.

Former Minister Manjit Singh Calcutta said the jathedar should be independent of all kinds of political and administrative pressures and manipulations and should be answerable to the Panth only. He suggested that the jathedar should be independent of any pecuniary authority. "The Panth should create a financial corpus for his honorable sustains and for running the affairs of the Akal Takht secretariat".

Advocate H S Phoolka in his address said Jathedars of these Five Takhats were appointed and removed by the committees in whose jurisdiction of the respective Takhat falls. "There is no laid down procedure of any of these for appointment/removal of Jathedars though the Singh Sahibans have the highest authority in the Sikh Religion and their writ run among the Sikhs but the committees treat them like their employee".

He said the Jathedars of these Five Takhats concerns and affects the whole of Sikh Nation throughout the World. As such the appointment of the Jathedar shall not be left only to the whims and fancies or prerogative of the respective committee, he asserted.

Damdami Taksal head Baba Harnam Singh and Akand Kirtani jatha head Gaini Baldev Singh while speaking applauded the efforts and assured the organizers of their wholehearted support. They admitted that the conduct and working of the present lot of Jathedars has undermined the glory and aura of the institution of the Akal Takht and other Takhts. Narien Singh of Akal Federation was at his best when he explained that 'intellectuals sans faith and religious preachers without discerning knowledge' are harming the interests of the religion. He said the Akal Takht is not the name of the building but it symbolizes the Sikh principles and the concept of Miri-Piri and sovereignty.

Chief Khalsa Deewan secretary Bhag Singh Ankhi and Director of Sant Singh Sukha Singh School Jagdish Singh dwell on the need of codifying the post of the Jathedars'.

Dr Gurdarshan Singh from GNDU was critical of the working of the Jathedars. He said that the Jathedars themselves by their conduct had to save the situation and prove their worth and live up to the expectations of the doctrine and the aspirations of the people.

KAC convenor Mohkam Singh made startling revelations when he revealed details of how the Central government scuttled the move to appoint Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale as jathedar of the Akal Takht in the wake of demise of Jathedar Gurdial Singh Ajnoha. He recalled how in 1983 during a congregation attended by prominent scholars, retired civil as well as army officers at langar hall within Darbar Sahib complex, a resolution was passed proposing the name of Sant Jarnail Singh for the post. He said within no time the Delhi rulers through Akali leadership got active and 'engineered' the appointment of Gaini Kirpal Singh for the top seat.

SKP chairman Rajinder Singh was vocal in saying that there was no priestly class as such in Sikhism. He said the concept of Panj Pardhani doesn't mean the established five jathedars. He criticized the manner in which jathedars took decisions and behave like masters of the Guru Panth and not sewaks.

Former jathedars Kewal Singh and Jagtar Singh Jachak shared their experiences and stress on the need to build criteria for the post of the jathedar.

Amongst others who graced the occasion were Wing Commander (Retd) R S Chhatwal, Daljit Singh, chairman of Dharam Parchar of the DSGMC, AISSF president Karnail Singh Peer Mohammad.