How do SGPC elections work? Why have they not been held in 13 years?

Here is however the SGPC elections work, and wherefore they person not been held since 2011.

First, what is the SGPC?

The SGPC is the apex governing assemblage of each Sikh gurdwaras successful the states of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, and the Union Territory of Chandigarh. It was established connected November 15, 1920 successful Amritsar, primitively to administer the Darbar Sahib gurdwara and different historically important gurdwaras.

In the 19th century, Punjab, present nether British control, saw a emergence of Christian missionary enactment and the enactment of Arya Samaj, a Hindu betterment movement. It is successful this discourse that the Singh Sabha question began among Sikhs to apprehension what was termed arsenic the “degradation of Sikh thought and principles” successful regular life.

But the power of Darbar Sahib and different gurdwaras remained successful the hands of almighty mahants (priests) who enjoyed tacit enactment from the British. These mahants treated gurdwaras arsenic their idiosyncratic fiefdoms. They encouraged practices successful usurpation of the tenets of Sikhism, specified arsenic idol worship and favoritism against Dalit Sikhs.

The SGPC was created to regenerate the unpopular mahants, and govern Sikh gurdwaras arsenic per the tenets of Sikhism. In the years aft its creation, the SGPC managed to prehend power of galore gurdwaras, though things would often crook violent. Finally, the British passed the Gurdwaras Act, 1925 which gave the SGPC ineligible designation and turned it into a antiauthoritarian assemblage to govern gurdwaras.

How bash SGPC elections work?

There are a full of 170 elected members of the SGPC. In addition, determination are 15 nominated members, 5 heads of the Takhts (Sikh temporal seats), and the caput granthi (chief priest) of the Golden Temple.

The Gurdwara Election Commission is simply a statutory assemblage nether the 1925 Act that is liable for holding the SGPC elections. The Gurdwara Election Commission Chairman is appointed by the Union Home Ministry to oversee the elections. This idiosyncratic has the authorization to clasp elections successful coordination with the Punjab government, which provides information and different resources.

The Centre appointed Justice S S Saron (retired), formerly of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, arsenic the president of the Gurdwara Election Commission successful October 2020. However, Saron began the process of preparing electoral rolls lone successful May this year. SGPC voters are registered successful the aforesaid mode arsenic voters successful wide elections, and the elections besides instrumentality spot connected akin lines. Any eligible idiosyncratic tin attack appointed predetermination officials to registry themselves arsenic voters.

Who tin go a elector successful SGPC elections?

There are 4 main conditions to go a elector successful SGPC elections. At the clip of enrolment, a idiosyncratic indispensable motion a declaration saying that:

• They support unshorn hair;
• They bash not portion alcohol;
• They bash not devour halal meat; and
• They bash not devour tobacco.

Moreover, voters indispensable beryllium Sikhs of the property of 21 and above. This time, Sikhs from Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and Chandigarh volition beryllium allowed to formed their vote. Voters from Haryana volition not participate, arsenic the authorities present has its ain Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee.

So far, much than 5 cardinal voters person been registered for the SGPC elections since past October. The 2011 elections had 5.6 cardinal registered voters, astir of whom were from Punjab (5.27 million), followed by Haryana (337,000), Himachal Pradesh (23,011), and Chandigarh (11,932).

Why were elections delayed?

Many Sikh groups person demanded caller elections beryllium held since 2016. Still, the location elected successful 2011 is inactive functioning.

A ineligible contented was down the archetypal hold of SGPC elections. In December 2011, the Punjab and Haryana High Court nullified the SGPC polls held successful September that year, and restored the voting rights of Sehajdhari Sikhs (Sikhs with shorn hair) by quashing the 2003 notification by the Centre. This notification had barred Sehajdhari Sikhs from casting their ballot successful 2011. During the hearings of the alleged Sehajdhari voting rights case, the tribunal made it wide that the canvass results successful 2011 would beryllium taxable to the verdict successful the matter.

In February 2012, the SGPC moved the Supreme Court challenging the bid of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The Supreme Court, however, excessively arsenic agelong arsenic 2016 — the twelvemonth caller elections were to beryllium held — to reinstate the SGPC location from 2011.

That said, adjacent this reinstated location completed its five-year word successful 2021. After coming to powerfulness successful Punjab successful 2022, the Aam Aadmi Party authorities recommended to the Centre that the SGPC elections beryllium conducted arsenic soon arsenic possible.