A section of the community, worried about how elections to DSGMC and even SGPC are manipulated by the state machinery, judicial delays, has been voicing the need for Sikhs to themselves have their own regulatory mechanism to conduct elections to evolve a Sikh-oriented Panthic system of election or selection. Such voices will further gain currency and importance if one looks at the weird ways of functioning of the Directorate Gurdwara Elections and delay in deliverance of justice by the judiciary as evidenced in the case of Indermohan Singh. Justice delayed is justice denied and this is so very true for Sikh individuals and institutions, notwithstanding their political affiliation, argues Gurmeet Singh of the WSN Delhi Desk.

HOW IRONIC CAN IT GET CAN BE SEEN from the case of the then Shiromani Akali Dal Delhi candidate Indermohan Singh, who raised objection to another person being co-opted in the previous DSGMC polls in 2017, instead of him, ultimately landed up with a judgement in his favour in January 2021, barely a month before the announcement of fresh polls for the new members of DSGMC.

On 9 March 2021, the Directorate of Gurdwara Elections, in a notification declared the co-option of Ranjeet Kaur of the Shiromani Akali Dal Badal as a member of Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, null and void and replaced it with Indermohan Singh.

In 2017 Director Shurbir SIngh of the Directorate of Gurdwara Elections did not heed the objection of Indermohan Singh and in collaboration with the Badal Dal, in clear violation of the rules and regulations of Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Act, 1971, co-opted Ranjeet Kaur of Sant Garh.

Indermohan Singh -a career bureaucrat went from being on deputation to the Directorate Gurdwara Elections, to become a candidate of the Shiromani Akali Dal Delhi and is currently an adviser to Shiromani Akali Dal Badal. He had filed a case in 2017 against the Directorate of Gurdwara Elections, DSGMC, who had co-opted members Ranjeet Kaur of Santgarh and Sarvjit Singh of Rohini.

The court of ADJ Rajinder Singh, Tis Hazari Courts ruled in favour of Indermohan SIngh on 25 January 2021. The judgement has raised questions on the functioning of the Directorate of Gurdwara Elections and Government of NCT of Delhi which directly controls the Directorate.

Indermohan Singh was immediately co-opted as a member at the fag end of the last term of DSGMC.   There is no financial obligation levied against the erring officer by the court. There is no compensation to Indermohan Singh for being denied his right to be a member of the DSGMC.

Recently, during the course of the nomination of candidates for the April elections, a legal expert in Gurdwara elections and a former member of the Directorate of Gurdwara Elections -Indermohan Singh, has once again gone public to state that the basic norms for candidature have been flouted by the participating groups and overlooked by the Returning officers of the Directorate of Gurdwara Elections, even now.

The Sikh Sangat of Delhi needs to know whether all decisions and approvals made by Ranjeet Kaur, during her nearly 4-year illegal term will be quashed and set aside, particularly considering the fact that she was the Vice-President of the body for a long time and had briefly officiated as President of DSGMC in the absence of Manjinder Singh Sirsa.

The allegations then made out by Indermohan Singh requires serious consideration by Delhi Sikhs. He had alleged that Ranjeet Kaur was a paid employee of Guru Harkrishan Sahib Public School, run by DSGMC. It was also mentioned that she dyed her hair black and that she trimmed her eyebrows, which is in contravention of the norms of Rehat Maryada and also the conditionalities for candidates. She was categorised as a Patit-apostate as defined in the provisions of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Act 1971, and hence ineligible.   It was also strongly alleged that she is not an Amritdhari Sikh, which is mandatory to be a member – elected or co-opted. Sarvjit Singh was also pulled up as he used to dye his beard, making him fall into the Patit-apostate category.

Recently, during the course of the nomination of candidates for the April elections, a legal expert in Gurdwara elections and a former member of the Directorate of Gurdwara Elections -Indermohan Singh, has once again gone public to state that the basic norms for candidature have been flouted by the participating groups and overlooked by the Returning officers of the Directorate of Gurdwara Elections, even now.

Indermohan Singh has mentioned he knows candidates who will soon face legal battles as they do not meet the eligibility criteria.

Speaking to WSN, Indermohan Singh mentioned that he personally knows candidates who do not know to read or write Punjabi, are not Amritdhari Sikhs and some who are directly related to employees of the DSGMC institutions or schools run by DSGMC. He categorically mentioned he knows candidates who will soon face legal battles as they do not meet the eligibility criteria.

It is a tragedy that right under the nose of the Sangat, the participating groups are showing scant regard for the Maryada of the Guru and the guidelines of the provisions of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Act. Not only the groups and parties but also the directorate and the Delhi government is not bothered to make sure that the guidelines of the Act are followed.

Participating groups are showing scant regard for the Maryada of the Guru and the guidelines of the provisions of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Act. Not only the groups and parties but also the directorate and the Delhi government is not bothered to make sure that the guidelines of the Act are followed.

The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Act,1971, Part 2 under Section 10(1) of the Act, clearly states the eligibility criteria of a member. “A member will not be qualified if he/she is not an Amritdhari Sikh; if being an Amritdhari Sikh, trims or shaves his beard or keshas; takes alcoholic drinks; is a patit; not being a blind person cannot read and write Gurmukhi. This last point is further explained as i. be able to read Gurmukhi if he is able to recite Sri Guru Granth Sahib in Gurmukhi and ii. Write Gurmukhi if he fills his nomination paper for election to the committee in Gurmukhi in his own Handwriting.

Many poll observers suspect that many of the 310 candidates are likely to face legal action and disqualification in view of the above provisions, especially when it comes to knowledge of Punjabi. There are confirmed reports that many candidates are eagerly chasing gurdwaras for old-dated certificates of being Amritdhari.

Next week, if the elections take place and when Sikhs vote, it is hoped that these eligibility criteria are not overlooked. The responsibility lies on the Directorate. If not followed, the Sangat money will be used by DSGMC to fight legal cases which will be another huge waste of funds of gurdwaras.