Vivek Gupta 
Chandigarh: During Monday’s (December 2) verdict session on Sukhbir Singh Badal’s Tankhah (religious punishment) case at Sri Akal Takht Sahib in Amritsar, five high Sikh priests under leadership of Akal Takht Jathedar (head) Giani Raghbir Singh held the top leadership of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) guilty of religious misconduct for controversial decisions taken during their 10-year rule in Punjab from 2007 to 2017.
As part of the punishment, the clergies announced to revoke the Fakhr-e-Qaum (Pride of the Sikh Community) title conferred to former Punjab chief minister, late Parkash Singh Badal.
The title was conferred upon the late Akali veteran in 2011 by Sri Akal Takht Sahib, the supreme temporal body of Sikhs, in recognition of his long political career and contributions to the Sikh community, which stands revoked now.
The Atal Takht also ordered the core SAD committee to accept pending resignations including that of current party president Sukhbir, late Parkash Singh Badal’s son, and report back within three days. It also directed the party to elect a new leadership within six months.
Sukhbir had tendered his resignation on November 16 but the party core committee had refused to accept it. Given that Sukhbir still has a firm grip over the party’s organisation, how a new and impartial leadership emerges remains to be seen.
However, today’s decision is seen as a serious indictment on the Badal family under whose leadership the country’s oldest regional political party hit a political nadir due to their controversial decisions, especially on issues of religious significance, during the party’s 10-year regime.
These controversial decisions, as the high priests mentioned in their decision, not just tarnished the SAD’s image but also hurt the sentiments of the Sikh community and failed to uphold Sikh values.
Sukhbir was declared tankhaiya (guilty of religious misconduct) as part of the religious verdict on August 30.
He had been directed to serve at the entrance of the Golden Temple wearing a guard’s dress. Keeping his health in view as he had suffered a hairline fracture in his leg, he was allowed to serve punishment while sitting in a wheelchair and attended today’s session in a wheel chair as well.
Badal confesses to mistakes
The high priests during the Tankhaiya verdict session read out all the charges one by one in the presence of a packed Sikh audience and made Sukhbir answer their queries in clear-worded “yes” or “no” replies.
Out of all the controversial decisions, the one that took centre stage was about the Akal Takht granting pardon to Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in the 2007 blasphemy incident, which left Punjab in a religious and political turmoil for several years due to anger among the Sikh community.
After a brief initial reluctance during the session, Sukhbir acknowledged his role in securing pardon for the Dera chief after holding a meeting with the then-Akal Takht Jathedar Gurbachan Singh and other clergies in Chandigarh. He also confessed to putting out advertisements in newspapers justifying the pardon using the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee’s (SGPC) funds. Sukhbir and other senior leaders were asked to reimburse Rs 90 lakh spent on the advertisements back to the SGPC’s bank accounts along with interest.
Sukhbir acknowledged his failure to punish perpetrators of the Bargari sacrilege and police officials for the Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan firing incidents. He also admitted to allowing the appointment of controversial police officers in senior posts otherwise accused in fake encounter cases of Sikh youths during terror-stricken Punjab in the 1980s. His father was the chief minister then and Sukhbir his deputy.
After pronouncing punishment for Sukhbir and his late father, it was also decided by the high priests to withdraw all the facilities extended to former Akal Takht Jathedar Gurbachan Singh for colluding with the Badals to secure pardon for Ram Rahim. He was directed to appear before the Akal Takht.
Indictment for the then-cabinet members
Apart from Sukhbir, as many as 17 former Akali Dal ministers and those who were members of the party’s core committee between 2007 and 2017 were summoned to appear before the Akal Takht. The high Sikh priests indicted most of them after they too confessed their silent inaction during the wrongdoings by the then Akali leadership.
The clergies also ordered senior Akali leaders including Sukhdev Dhindsa, Gulzar Ranikea and Janmeja Sekhon to wear sewadar uniform and carry out sewa outside the Golden Temple along with Sukhbir.
Other members including Daljeet Cheema, Sucha Singh Langah, Bibi Jagir Kaur, Prem Singh Chandumajra and Bikram Singh Majithia were directed to clean washrooms and do sewa at the langar hall of the Golden Temple. Manjinder Singh Sirsa and Manpreet Singh Badal, now in the Bharatiya Janata Party, were also given similar punishments.
Also read: All Eyes on Badal’s ‘Punishment’ as He Is Declared Guilty of Religious Misconduct by Akal Takht
Rebels asked to unite
The entire proceedings leading up to today’s religious indictment began with several Akali Dal leaders going against Sukhbir and seeking the intervention of the Akal Takht in July as part of their “Sudhar Lehar.” While many of the rebels too were found guilty of religious misconduct since they occupied senior positions during the controversial Akali regime, they were now directed to leave aside their personal tussles and work for the solidarity of the Akali Dal.
Summing up their verdict, the five high priests addressed the division in the Akali Dal and instructed the Baghi (rebels) and the Daghi (tainted) members to refrain from commenting against each other and unite by setting their differences aside for the sake of the party and the state.
Vivek Gupta is a Chandigarh-based journalist.