Ignoring the Supreme Court of India order in 2012-13 for making photo identity cards for general Sikh voters for the DSGMC election and then rubbishing a similar order of the Delhi High Court in 2016, prior to the 2017 DSGMC general elections, now the Directorate of Gurdwara Elections of the Government of Delhi, which is mandated to conduct DSGMC elections under the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Act is facing judicial review by the Delhi High Court, with the case coming up for final hearing on 15 September 2020, after a brief hearing on 7 September 2020.

After making a hurried announcement to start making voter rolls – online and offline, subsequent to a quickly-called all-party meet at the Directorate offices, the Directorate of Gurdwara Elections is now caught in a quagmire with the incumbent party Shiromani Akali Dal Badal, seeking fresh voter rolls, whereas the Jago Party, expecting to cash-in on a perceived anti-Badal wave, wanting to have elections on the basis of the previous 4-year-old voter rolls. The matter is sub judice and will be taken up by the Delhi High Court as an urgent matter at the intervention of the Jago Party.

At the intervention of the Jago party, the case was heard on 7 September 2020, but no conclusive decision was made and the case was deferred to 15 September for final hearing.

The Directorate conducted a meeting of all parties contesting the elections as per the 2017 rolls on 19 August 2020 and made a lacklustre, ill-prepared announcement to conduct the elections in time on the basis of the Delhi Assembly voter lists. They also announced to register votes online and offline from 20 August onwards. The directorate also clarified that because of the COVID19 situation, it was not possible to reach every Sikh home and make fresh votes. The Directorate failed to tell the electorate that votes of the Delhi Assembly and the DSGMC follow different acts and different rules.

On the evening of 19 August, Shiromani Akali Dal Badal went to court challenging this. The Jago party alleged that it was a ruse and elections can be conducted as per old voter rolls.

How flagrantly has the Directorate been violating court orders can be seen from the fact that the 2013 and the 2017 court orders to prepare fresh voter rolls were simply overlooked and the elections were conducted on the basis of old voter rolls of 1983!

Significantly, a meeting was held between the senior leaders of various participating groups of Delhi, AAP MLA Jarnail Singh and the Delhi Minister in charge of Gurdwara Elections -Mr Rajinder Pal Gautam on 22 July, but no decision was announced either by the Minister or by the participating leaders.

 

Panthak Sewa Dal spokesperson Hardit Singh Gobindpuri, who participated in the meeting with the Director, has among other issues, demanded that the minutes of all meetings of the Directorate with Sikh leaders, whenever held, must be made public.

In 2017, the Delhi High Court, while giving permission to conduct elections as per the old voter list had directed the Directorate Gurdwara elections to prepare photo-based voter lists within 9 months of the elections.

The minutes of all meetings of the Directorate of General Elections with participating entities must be made public.

Hardit Singh Gobindpuri, Spokesperson, Panthak Sewa Dal

Notwithstanding the warning by medical and political analysts, India is running in top gear. It is unfathomable that it cannot carry on a revision of rolls or even make fresh photo-based voter rolls keeping social distancing norms in mind -the easiest way of which is to ensure that more registration is done online. The Directorate has been telling the media that there is some glitch in the online voter registration software but has not set a date when their problem would be set right.

With a cabinet rank minister Mr Rajinderpal Gautam as in-charge, it should not be a herculean task for the Aam Aadmi Party to fulfil its responsibility. They owe it to the Sikh population of Delhi, whatever be their political stance towards Sikhs.

The incumbent President and office bearers of the DSGMC and former presidents and office-bearers spend a lot of time, money and energy petitioning courts in Delhi for conduct or delay of elections and corruption in the body from time to time. Sadly, the Sikh Sangat in Delhi has not seen any positive result of that over the decades.

On a petition by the Shiromani Akali Dal UK-Delhi, the Supreme Court of India ordered the Directorate of Gurdwara Elections to make photo-identity cards and electoral rolls with photos, way back in 2012-13, but the Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi did not move an inch. Furthermore, prior to the 2017 general member elections to the DSGMC in 2017, the Delhi High Court passed an order in 2016 giving similar directions for making photo identity cards and photo rolls. The Directorate did not take any step.

The Directorate General Elections of the Government of NCR Delhi, run by the AAP party has ignored Supreme Court and Delhi High Court orders for preparing photo-based voter cards and lists prior to COVID19 pandemic. It is answerable to the Sikh residents of Delhi.

Who is to blame? Is it only the Directorate of the Delhi government which should share the entire blame? Legally, yes. It is their constitutional responsibility to conduct the elections as per the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Act, 1971 and rules thereunder with all amendments and directions of the courts of the land.

It is also the responsibility of the parties that participate in the elections to follow up the Directorate on a regular basis and ensure that they are appropriately complying with their official duties as well as court orders. The Directorate of General Elections has no one except itself to blame to be in the situation that it is. It is for itself to come out of the mess to meet the expectations of the Sikh residents of Delhi.

The inconvenient questions that the Sikh Sangat of Delhi must ask are:

• Why has the Aam Aadmi Party governed Directorate of Gurdwara Elections, working under a Cabinet Minister failed to fulfil its duties to prepare photo-based voter rolls prior to the COVID19 pandemic situation?
• Why have the Sikh representatives in the Aam Aadmi Party not taken up this issue within their party and the government in all seriousness?
• Why did Manjit Singh GK, Manjinder Singh Sirsa and other leaders not pressurise the Directorate Gurdwara Elections to prepare the photo-based voter rolls?
• What kind of correspondence was conducted between the DSGMC and the Directorate to comply with court orders?
• Who is paying for the hefty legal costs of the lawyers of the DSGMC for their lapses?
• Why is invariably there a showdown only close to the election dates?

The Sikh activists, the Sikh Sangat and everyone who has the interest of the Panth at heart is also duty-bound to question both the Directorate and the DSGMC leadership on a consistent and regular basis to ensure that there is an equal playing field for all participating groups and individuals and that there is no lapse whatsoever.

Commenting upon the lackadaisical attitude of the sober and intelligent sections of the community, veteran journalist Jaswant Singh ‘Ajit’, in one of his recent columns has stated, “Some intellectuals very casually deride the prevailing system of electing Gurdwara representatives, but fail to suggest, build or evolve a working and effective alternative. Merely dismissing the prevalent systems will not help the community or improve the working of the DSGMC.”

Merely dismissing the prevalent systems will not help the community or improve the working of the DSGMC.”

Jaswant Singh 'Ajit', veteran Sikh journalist in Delhi

A phrase attributed to Thomas Jefferson -the great apostle of human rights goes, “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.” If the Sikh Sangat wants to change for the better; if the Sikhs desire to maintain the sovereign nature of their Gurdwaras and institutions; if the Sikhs desire that anti-Sikh religious and religio-political practices do not take place at the highest levels; if the Sikh Sangat desires that the employees of our religious and educational institutions are empowered, and more, the price has to be paid.

Voter lists of 1983, inefficient Directorate General Elections, participating groups furthering personal whims, political goals and anti-Panthic agenda -you have it before you. The price of democratic functioning and rejuvenating Sikh institutions is eternal vigilance, inquisition, participation and intervention.