Akal Takht tells Sukhbir Badal to clean Golden Temple washrooms, kitchens for ‘religious misconduct’
Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh revoked the ‘Fakhar-e-Quam’ title previously awarded to former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.
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The Akal Takht, the supreme temporal body of the Sikhs, on Monday ordered Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal and other leaders of the party to clean washrooms and kitchens of Amritsar’s Golden Temple as punishment for religious misconduct.
Giani Raghbir Singh, the jathedar or head of the Akal Takht, directed the working committee of the party to accept Sukhbir Singh Badal’s resignation. He also announced the formation of a panel to initiate a membership drive and start the process of electing party leadership, the newspaper reported.
Sukhbir Singh Badal was the deputy Chief Minister of Punjab between 2007 and 2017.
The punishment was imposed for alleged links that the Shiromani Akali Dal leadership had with Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh despite his excommunication by the Sikh community in 2007. The party leadership had also allegedly facilitated his pardon by the Akal Takht in 2015 during the tenure of former Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh.
The leadership of the Shiromani Akali Dal also faced criticism for allegedly not addressing important matters of the community when the party was in power between 2007 and 2017. This included incidents of sacrilege and police firing at Kotkapura.
The panel of five senior priests led by Giani Raghbir Singh also revoked the Fakhar-e-Quam,...
