SGPC panel to visit Takht Patna Sahib to settle dispute
A row erupted after Takht Patna Sahib when Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of Sikhism, pointed to defiance of its 2022 decree which had ordered an assessment of Patna Sahib jathedar Baldev Singh's Gurbani recitation skills and the transfer of granthi Gurdial Singh.
On May 21, the Panj Pyaras of Takht Patna Sahib declared acting Akal Takht jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj and Takht Damdama Sahib head Tek Singh Dhanaula 'tankhaiya' (guilty of religious misconduct) for actions that allegedly hurt the sanctity and dignity of the Takht Patna Sahib.
As the confrontation escalated, Panj Pyaras of three Punjab-based temporal seats— Akal Takht, Takht Kesgarh Sahib and Takht Damdama Sahib—passed resolutions against the move.
'SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami constituted a delegation, which includes SGPC's senior vice-president Raghujit Singh Virk, member Bhai Gurcharan Singh Grewal and Gurbachan Singh Karmuwala will visit Patna. SGPC assistant secretary Jaswinder Singh Jassi has been appointed as the coordinator of this delegation, the spokesperson added.
Providing further details, Satbir Singh, officer on special duty (OSD) to SGPC's chief secretary Kulwant Singh Mannan, said that the delegation would travel to Takht Sri Harmandar Ji Patna Sahib soon to hold discussions with its management committee and the Panj Pyaras.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
44 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Delhi HC upholds Celebi security ban, cites national security threat
The Delhi High Court on Monday dismissed Turkey-based company Çelebi Airport Services Private Limited's plea challenging the Indian government's decision to revoke its security clearance. The court said that 'once national security considerations are found to exist, it was not for the Court to 'second guess' the same.' 'As per settled law, once national security considerations are found to exist, on the basis of which the security clearance has been cancelled/revoked, it is not for the Court to 'second guess' the same,' the order said. Justice Sachin Datta upheld the revocation of security clearance of the Turkey-based firm by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) in the interest of national security. On perusal of the relevant information, it transpires that there are compelling national security considerations involved, which impelled the Indian government to revoke the security clearance, the court said. The court further noted that impelling geopolitical considerations, impinging upon the safety of the country, were also involved. '…the executive wing and not the judicial wing has the knowledge of India's geopolitical relationships to assess if an action is in the interest of India's national security,' the order stated. There was a considerable body of judicial dicta to the effect that the State is well within its rights to take pre-emptive measures to protect and preserve national security, the single-judge bench of the High Court said. 'No doubt, the principles of natural justice are sacrosanct; however, it is a compelling constitutional truth that security of the realm is the precondition for enjoyment of all other rights. The State/respondents are indeed justified in taking prompt and definitive action so as to completely obviate the possibility of the country's civil aviation and national security being compromised,' the court said. In its petition to the Delhi High Court, Çelebi Airport Services had said that public perception cannot be grounds for revocation of security clearance. The ground-handling company also submitted that it had been given no reason or opportunity for a hearing. 'We have been carrying the operations for 17 years without blemish. Then we received a letter on May 15 cancelling the security clearance. We were given no reason and no opportunity for hearing. It is because of public perception that the shareholding of the company is of Turkish nationals. But public perception cannot be grounds (for revocation of security clearance). There are 14,000 employees working. The entire business goes for a toss,' Çelebi's lawyers had told the court. Çelebi had also argued that the Indian government's decision to revoke its security clearance was 'arbitrary and devoid of specific reasons.' The Ministry of Civil Aviation, acting through the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), withdrew Çelebi's clearance on 15 May 2025, invoking national security grounds. The move came amid mounting diplomatic tensions after Turkey supported Pakistan during hostilities involving Operation Sindoor. At least seven airports in the country cancelled the services of Çelebi and its subsidiaries. Çelebi challenged the contract cancellations before the High Courts of Madras, Bombay and Gujarat, besides challenging the security revocation before the Delhi High Court. While the pleas are pending in the Gujarat and Bombay High Courts, the Madras High Court had in June granted interim protection to Çelebi Ground Services Chennai under Section 9 (interim protection to parties) of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996. Background Çelebi, a wholly owned Indian subsidiary of Turkish parent company Çelebi Aviation Holding, argued that the government's order lacked any prior notice or opportunity to respond. The company described the justification as 'vague' and 'unsubstantiated,' asserting that such actions jeopardise foreign investor confidence and threaten the livelihoods of Indian employees. The company also clarified that while it has Turkish ownership, operational and managerial control of its Indian entity is handled by an India-based team, and that it has maintained a clean track record for over a decade at major airports. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Central government, expressed national security concerns over the firm's presence, and said, 'The enemy can try 10 times and succeed once; a country has to succeed all the time.' 'In cases of civil aviation and national security, there cannot be a doctrine of proportionality,' he added. He also submitted that the individuals employed by the company in question, who are deployed at airports, have access to every corner of the airport as well as the aircraft. 'The government had inputs that it would be hazardous in this scenario, in which the country is in, to leave this activity in the hands of this company,' he said. Mehta maintained that the revocation was rooted in concerns over national security under the Aircraft Security Rules, particularly Rule 12. Rule 12 of the Indian Aircraft (Security) Rules, 2023, grants the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) the power to suspend or cancel security clearances and security programmes. Following the revocation of clearance, Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) also terminated its contracts with Çelebi, and in Mumbai, Indothai, a domestic operator, was brought in to take over the firm's ground-handling services.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
The Crisis of the Welfare State in Profile
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer The crisis of the welfare state—fiscally unaffordable but politically unreformable—afflicts nearly every 21st-century Western democracy. And the revolt last week against British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's modest disability reforms shows how deeply the entitlement state mentality is entrenched. At issue were so-called personal independence payments for those who struggle with tasks like bathing, preparing food or managing finances owing to physical or mental infirmities. Sounds compassionate, but more Brits than ever are claiming anxiety and depression to qualify. As many as a thousand people each day are signing up for the allowance that can exceed $250 a week. Some 2.8 million jobless Brits are now classified as long-term ill, and the government says one in 10 working-age people now claim a sickness or disability benefit. Personal independence payment awards have more than doubled since the pandemic. British spending on working-age, health-related benefits has skyrocketed to £52 billion from £36 billion over the past five years, according to the London-based Institute for Fiscal Studies. Mr. Starmer sought to tighten eligibility requirements, but his own party revolted. More than 120 Labour MPs threatened to kill the reform bill outright. The government responded with concessions that shielded existing claimants from the changes, knocking billions off the total savings. That wasn't good enough for lawmakers like Labour's Rachael Maskell, who denounced the reforms as 'Dickensian.' The government retreated again, committing now only to consider whether to change the eligibility rules. It will complete a review next year. Gone are the immediate personal independence payment reforms that would have saved about £3.8 billion annually by fiscal year 2029-30. Last week's bill preserves cuts to a nearly $580 disability top-up to monthly benefits for low-income and jobless Brits. But for at least the next five years, these savings are largely offset by an increase in the baseline allowance. Without reforms, the cost will grow to some £66 billion by fiscal 2029/2030—about on par with the U.K.'s total 2024 defense spending. This is a political disaster for Mr. Starmer's government, which had been counting on the savings to create room for spending on defense and other priorities. The Times of London reports that Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, is now warning that the hole will have to be filled with tax increases, perhaps large ones. Yet the tax increases in her last budget are deeply unpopular and have failed to raise the anticipated revenue. But it's an even bigger problem for the country, which urgently needs to spend more to defend itself. Yet it finds itself with an ever-larger share of the population on the nonworking disability rolls. This is how nations decline. The Tories can hardly crow, since they failed to address the disability mess in their long recent hold on power. Americans also have no cause to boast as Republicans struggled to pass even modest reforms to Medicaid and food stamps. No wonder the Chinese Communists think they'll dominate the 21st century.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Court records statement of Sajjan Kumar in 1984 riots case
New Delhi: A Delhi court on Monday recorded the statement of former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case related to violence in Janakpuri and Vikaspuri. The statement was recorded in the court of special judge Dig Vinay Singh. The court has listed the matter for hearing on July 29. Kumar, making his submissions through advocates Anil Kumar Sharma, Anuj Sharma and Apoorav Kumar Sharma, said that he was innocent. "There is not an iota of evidence against me," he said. "My lie detector test was conducted. I voluntarily participated to prove my innocence," he told the court. You Can Also Check: Delhi AQI | Weather in Delhi | Bank Holidays in Delhi | Public Holidays in Delhi Kumar said he was not named by any witness. However, decades later, his name came up. "The case against me is false and politically motivated," Kumar said. In Feb 2015, an SIT registered two FIRs against Kumar based on complaints of violence in Janakpuri and Vikaspuri during the anti-Sikh riots. In Janakpuri, two men — Sohan Singh and his son-in-law Avtar Singh — were killed on Nov 1, 1984. The second FIR was registered in the case of Gurcharan Singh, who was allegedly set ablaze on Nov 2, 1984, in Vikaspuri. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Why seniors are rushing to get this Internet box – here's why! Techno Mag Learn More Undo According to the complaint, Gurcharan, who sustained severe burns, remained bedridden for three decades. In Aug 2023, a Delhi court dropped the charges of murder and criminal conspiracy in both cases but charged Kumar with other offences in the chargesheet, including rioting with deadly weapons, promoting enmity between different groups, and attempting to commit culpable homicide. Further submitting before the court that he was not present at the spot, Kumar said anyone could have taken his name as he was the MP. "The investigating agency did not conduct a fair investigation. The aim was to implicate by introducing fresh and unsubstantiated allegations," said the former MP. Mentioning that he organised blood donation camps and peace marches to bring harmony to the area, Kumar said: "My lie detector test was conducted. I voluntarily participated to prove my innocence." Kumar said if he was present there, there would be no confusion regarding his identity. At present, he is lodged in Tihar Jail after Delhi High Court sentenced him to life imprisonment in 2018 in a case related to the killing of five Sikhs at Raj Nagar Part I in Palam Colony on Nov 1-2, 1984, and the burning down of a gurdwara in Raj Nagar Part II. On Aug 30 last year, a Delhi court ordered the framing of charges against Kumar in a case related to the killing of three Sikhs during the riots near Pul Bangash Gurdwara.
