SGPC Voting Rights Dispute Continues Amid Court Battles and Vacant Seats

The last general elections to the SGPC were held in September 2011. After the elections, petitions were filed in the Punjab and Haryana High Court regarding the voting rights of Sehajdhari Sikhs. The matter went to court for several years. In 2016, Parliament amended the Sikh Gurdwaras Act 1925. The situation regarding voting rights became clear after this. The dispute intensified after the formation of a separate Gurdwara Management Committee in Haryana in the year 2014. The legal battle began over the jurisdiction of the SGPC and the representation of the Sikhs of Haryana. Later, before the elections, the voting rights of the Sikhs of Haryana were petitioned in the High Court and then the court was stayed. After the 2011 elections, about 33 elected members have died, while one member resigned. After this, about 34 seats are vacant. Section 53 and Rule 57 of the Sikh Gurdwara Act provides for by-elections on vacant seats but these seats could not be held. In the event of no elections, Section 51 of the Gurdwara Sikh Act is important. The board has been elected for 15 years. However, the board has been elected under the legal provision of the current system.