The Akal Takht Jathedar on Monday held a meeting of the five 'Singh Sahiban' (Sikh clergy) to discuss matters related to former Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal. The religious body pronounced punishment after Badal was declared a 'tankhaiya' -- guilty of religious misconduct -- by Sri Akal Takht Sahib and the Jathedars of the five Takhts. Sri Akal Takht Sahib ordered Badal and his companions to clean the bathroom for one hour and wash utensils at langer for one hour.
Core committee members including Sukhbir Singh Badal and leaders who were Cabinet members in the year 2015 will clean the bathrooms from 12 noon to 1 pm on 3 December.
After which they will take a bath and serve in the langar house. Later, Sri Sukhmani Sahib will have to be recited. Badal will sit outside Sri Darbar Sahib. He will have to wear a plaque around his neck declaring him a Tankhaiya.
The resignations of the leaders who have given from the Shiromani Akali Dal party should be accepted in the next 3 days. Leaders who rebelled against Shiromani Akali Dal were reprimanded. They were advised to stay with Shiromani Akali Dal.
Earlier, Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh summoned the entire Akali Dal Cabinet during 2007 to 2017, the SAD's core committee and the 2015 internal committee of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee on December 2.
What is Jathedar?
The Jathedar of the highest temporal seat of Sikhs also asked the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) chief Harjinder Singh Dhami to remain present on that day.
The development came days after Badal had urged the Akal Takht Jathedar to convene a meeting of the Sikh clergy to pronounce 'tankhah' (religious punishment) to him, citing that more than two and half months had passed since he had been declared 'tankhaiya'.
The Jathedar, on August 30, had declared Sukhbir 'tankhaiya' for the "mistakes" committed by his party and the party's government from 2007 to 2017.
After Badal was declared 'tankhaiya', he had appeared before the Akal Takht and had sought an apology for the "mistakes" committed by his party and the party's government during 2007 to 2017.
What was the matter?
Badal was declared 'tankhaiya' after rebel party leaders including Prem Singh Chandumajra, former SGPC chief Jagir Kaur and other leaders had appeared before the Akal Takht on July 1 and had sought forgiveness for four "mistakes" during the SAD between 2007 and 2017, including failure to punish those responsible for 2015 sacrilege incidents and pardoning Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a 2007 blasphemy case.
The SAD did not contest the November 20 bypolls to four assembly segments as Badal failed to get any temporary relief from the Akal Takht.
The 103-year-old political outfit SAD has been facing the worst rebellion in its history with a section of party leaders revolting against Badal, demanding that he step down as party chief following the SAD's debacle in the Lok Sabha elections in Punjab.
(With agency inputs)
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