Indian Supreme Court has ordered the state of Sikkim to maintain status quo at Sikkim’s historic shrine Gurdwara Nanak Llama Sahib at Chungthang, near the Gurudongmar lake till 13 September on a petition filed by Advocate Amritpal Singh Khalsa, Mumbai and social activist Ajmer Singh Randhawa, New Delhi.

In a significant development which will likely put a halt to the sinister designs of elements who are out to take advantage of the hate climate in the country and make open attempts to grab religious places of minorities, the Supreme court of India disposed off a PIL filed by Mumbai based lawyer Amritpal Singh Khalsa and Delhi based social activist Ajmer Singh Randhawa, ordering the State of Sikkim to maintain status quo till 13 September in the case of historic Gurdwara Guru Nanak Llama Chungthang on the Gurudongma lake.

The Supreme Court has given the liberty to the petitioner to appear before the Sikkim High Court and discuss the case on merits where a civil writ petition comes up for hearing on 13 September.   

The state of Sikkim has been directed to ensure that no harm is done to the historic Gurdwara Sahib till the disposal of the writ petition as well as the Civil Writ Petition filed by the Sri Guru Singh Sabha in Gangtok in the Sikkim High Court.

The petitioners had pleaded that there seems to be a possibility of destruction and desecration of the Gurdwara and hence immediate state intervention was necessary.

“Speaking exclusively to WSN, Amritpal Singh Khalsa, visibly elated at the positive response from the Supreme Court said, said that “I am grateful to God and Sikh Sangat that our prayers have been answered. Let us now provide credible documentation to the Sikkim High Court and win the case.””

According to the standing counsel of the State of Sikkim, the mischief is being done by the Llamas and the state government is not responsible. However the court ordered that it is the duty of the state to protect the shrine.

Speaking exclusively to WSN, Amritpal Singh Khalsa, visibly elated at the positive response from the Supreme Court said, said that “I am grateful to God and Sikh Sangat that our prayers have been answered. Let us now provide credible documentation to the Sikkim High Court and win the case.”

As the community braces up to fight the case, plenty of video and written evidence is available on the internet, in books and from the personal experiences of Sikh civil and military individuals who have been visiting the historic Gurdwara for centuries.

The World Sikh News has learnt that many army personnel have enabled the setting up of the Gurdwara over the decades and the present attempt to empty the Gurdwara was taken up as presently there was no Sikh civil or army resident there and they miscreants wanted to take advantage of the current Indo-China tension because the Gurdwara is in the border area and is normally out of bounds.

“The state of Sikkim has been directed to ensure that no harm is done to the historic Gurdwara Sahib till the disposal of the writ petition as well as the Civil Writ Petition filed by the Sri Guru Singh Sabha, Siliguri in the Sikkim High Court.”

Legend has it though the climate is biting cold with temperatures running below zero, in a small cubicle inside the shrine area, due to blessings of Guru Nanak Sahib, water is easily available.

Army personnel regularly visiting the shrine have said that since the last two decades, Buddhists and Hindus are attempting to put up their flags near the Gurdwara Sahib and want to first make it “disputed” and then somehow gobble it up in connivance with the state as there is hardly any significant Sikh presence in the area.

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In the past, even the SGPC has been involved and has made representations to the Union government to protect the Gurdwara Sahib.