AMRITSAR: The Akal Takht on Sunday expelled former Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) member Amarjit Singh Chawla and Additional Head Granthi Giani Malkit Singh from the “Khalsa Panth”, days after Chawla was booked in a rape case in Punjab’s Anandpur Sahib. The decision was announced following a meeting of five Sikh head priests at the secretariat of the Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of the Sikhs. Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Kuldip Singh Gargajj said Chawla had been expelled for alleged violations of Sikh tenets and directed members of the community to maintain distance from him.
Barred from religious activities
The Akal Takht also directed that Chawla should not be allowed to participate in religious activities at Sikh institutions. Giani Malkit Singh, Additional Head Granthi of the Akal Takht Sahib, was handed a similar punishment and expelled from the Sikh fold. The Jathedar directed the Sikh community to maintain distance from him and said he should not be permitted to participate in religious activities at Sikh institutions.
The meeting was attended by Giani Gargajj; Giani Kewal Singh, priest at the Golden Temple; Gurbaksh Singh, priest at the Akal Takht; Tek Singh, Jathedar of Takht Damdama Sahib; and Mangal Singh, a member of the Panj Pirara group of the Akal Takht.
Chawla faces rape case
The religious action against Chawla comes after police booked him on charges of rape, wrongful confinement and criminal intimidation following a complaint lodged by a woman in Anandpur Sahib. Chawla has denied the allegations, describing them as “false and fabricated”. The accusations against him remain subject to investigation and have not been proven in court.
Following the registration of the FIR, Chawla resigned from his position as an SGPC member as well as from the post of senior vice-president of the Shiromani Akali Dal. The case had also prompted the SGPC to distance itself from Chawla after the allegations became public.
Vulgar messages alleged
Malkit Singh’s name also figured in allegations made by the woman. He and another person were accused of sending vulgar messages to the complainant. Sunday’s decision means both Chawla and Malkit Singh have now been subjected to one of the strongest religious sanctions available under the authority of the Akal Takht.
The Akal Takht occupies the highest position among the five temporal seats of Sikhism and issues religious directions concerning matters affecting Sikh doctrine, conduct and institutions. While the Akal Takht’s action relates to alleged violations of Sikh religious tenets, the criminal case against Chawla will proceed separately under the legal process.