Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 14: National Akali Dal, J&K (NADJK) has urged upon the Lt Governor GC Murmu and his administration to formulate a panel of Sikh religious and legal luminaries to review the Sikh Gurdwara and Religious Endowment Act of 1973 and make it effective and purposeful.
The participants in a meeting held today lauded Govt move for providing three months more periods to the outgoing DGPC members to manage Gurdwaras affairs in view of the COVID-19.
Dayal Singh Wazir, president (NAD J&K) and former general secretary DGPC Jammu along with Prof Amrik Singh and Santokh Singh said that the Gurdwara Act was enacted to provide better, clean, transparent and efficient management to all the Gurudwaras in J&K and also to take care of all the properties and institutions built by Sikh communities donations. He said that Act was meant to preserve the sanctity of Sikh shrines and also to implement the Sikh code of conduct in all the Gurdwaras.
He regretted that as observed during this long period since the enactment of the Act, everything went contrary to the aspirations of Sikh masses as the code of conduct and traditions were not followed in a proper way. The committees and boards were elected to manage the affairs of Gurdwaras as per the expectation of the Sikh community, but unfortunately nothing happened as such.
Singh further said that the Act was drafted by certain political people having vested interests in a hush-hush manner, without consulting the Sikh community as well as religious and legal luminaries. He asserted that Act should be amended as it has many lacunas which has defeated purpose of its formation. The lacunas has allowed the non-performers of Sikh code of conduct to contest and win the elections by unfair means and run the Gurdwara affairs as per their wimps and fancies and exploited the Sikh masses politically.
The members who are being elected for District Committees or for State Board has no power, sit at the home, once they vote to elect the district committees and SGPB. He added that employees of J&K/GoI cannot contest election for Gurdwara Prabandhak board as per Chapter-2, Rule-4, Section (v) of the act but on the other hand, the same employees are allowed to contest the election for the membership of the District Gurdwara Prabandhak Committees, when the Chapter-3 Rule-12 is silent regarding the same. He further said the Act has miserably failed to maintain the integrity and unity of Sikhs in J&K.
He urged upon the Lt Governor and Law Secretary for taking immediate cognizance of issue and formulate a panel of Sikh religious and legal luminaries to review the said defunct Act.
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