Amritsar, July 8, 2023 (Yes Punjab News)
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has registered strong opposition on behalf of the Sikh community, declaring the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) proposed by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centre government as unnecessary in the country.
After a serious discussion about the UCC in the SGPC’s Executive Committee (EC) meeting presided over by SGPC President Harjinder Singh Dhami, it has been decided that there is no need for UCC in the country, while the Constitution recognizes the principle of unity in diversity.
Speaking to the media after the EC meeting, Harjinder Singh Dhami said that there is an apprehension among the minorities in the country regarding the Uniform Civil Code that this code will hurt their identity, originality, and principles. On the issue of UCC, the SGPC has constituted a sub-committee of Sikh intellectuals, historians, scholars, and lawyers, which at the preliminary stage considered the UCC as suppression for the existence of minorities, their religious rites, traditions, and culture.
This sub-committee includes SGPC general secretary Bhai Gurcharan Singh Grewal, senior Sikh lawyer Puran Singh Hundal, SGPC members Advocate Bhagwant Singh Sialka, Advocate Paramjit Kaur Landran, and Bibi Kiranjot Kaur, Prof Kashmir Singh, Dr Inderjit Singh Gogoani, Dr Paramveer Singh, and Dr Chamkaur Singh. He said that as per the opinion of this sub-committee, the SGPC EC has expressed strong opposition against the UCC.
Harjinder Singh Dhami said that any challenge to bani bana (Gurbani and traditional Sikh attire), bol baale (words or thoughts which are sublime or supreme as well as high and true), principles, traditions, values, lifestyle, culture, independent existence and distinct entity of Sikhs can never be accepted and the Sikh Maryada (code of conduct) cannot be tested by the worldly law. Therefore, the Sikh community opposes the UCC. He also said that the 21st Law Commission had also rejected the UCC terming it as neither desirable nor feasible.
About the other decisions at the EC meeting, the SGPC President said that the case against Congress leader Jagdish Tytler, accused of murdering three Sikhs at Pulbangash Gurdwara Sahib in Delhi in 1984, will be pursued by the SGPC. He said that the CBI has filed a chargesheet in the court against Tytler and the fees of the lawyers fighting this case will be paid by the SGPC. He said that after the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) backed down on this matter, now the SGPC has decided to pursue this case.
Harjinder Singh Dhami said that the EC has also approved setting up a project to digitize the old handwritten holy saroops (scriptures) at Gurdwara Sri Goindwal Sahib. He said that old handwritten holy saroops of Sri Guru Granth Sahib arriving for the last rites at Goindwal Sahib will be identified and digitized under this project. This decision has been taken from the perspective of preserving the old valuable Sikh heritage.
Meanwhile, the SGPC President also said that a 5-member committee has been formed to consider the representations by the suspended employees in the case of administrative irregularities at Langar (community kitchen) Sri Guru Ramdas Ji. This committee includes SGPC senior vice-president Baldev Singh Qaimpur, general secretary Bhai Gurcharan Singh Grewal, members Baba Gurpreet Singh, Sher Singh Mandwala, and Surjit Singh Tughalwal.
About Gurbani Kirtan broadcast from Sachkhand Sri Harmandar Sahib, Harjinder Singh Dhami said that the sub-committee formed in this regard is continuously working and the entire outline and plan will be disclosed soon.
Present in the SGPC EC meeting included Baldev Singh Qaimpur, junior vice-president Avtar Singh Raya, Bhai Gurcharan Singh Grewal, EC members Mohan Singh Bangi, Jarnail Singh Kartarpur, Surjit Singh Tughalwal, Bawa Singh Gumanpura, Bibi Gurinder Kaur Bholuwala, Gurnam Singh Jassal, Paramjit Singh Khalsa, Sher Singh Mandwala, Baba Gurpreet Singh Randhawa and Malkit Singh Changal, SGPC secretary Partap Singh, OSD Satbir Singh Dhami, additional secretaries Sukhminder Singh, Kulwinder Singh Ramdas, Gurinder Singh Mathrewal, Simarjit Singh, assistant secretary Gurcharan Singh Kuhala, Shahbaz Singh, and Paramjit Singh, superintendent Malkeet Singh Beharwal, in-charge Gurnam Singh, Balwinder Singh Khairabad, Azaddeep Singh, Tarsem Singh Gill, XeN Sukhjinder Singh, and others.
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