The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee is the only religious body in the world that is elected by the followers of a religion to manage the places of worship in a country. It is also the first democratic body in India to give women the right to vote. An active movement began in the second decade of the twentieth century in the form of the ‘Gurdwara Reform Movement’ to bring the gurdwaras under the Panthic management. The success of this movement was due to the liberation of the Mahants from the control of Gurdwara Rakabganj Sahib, Delhi and Gurdwara Baba Di Ber. On 12 October 1920, the Sikhs liberated the control of Sri Akal Takht Sahib and Sri Darbar Sahib, Amritsar from the Mahants. On 15 November 1920, more than 10,000 Sikhs gathered in front of Sri Akal Takht Sahib, where a representative committee was elected to look after the gurdwaras, which was named ‘Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee’.
In 1925, the British government enacted the ‘Sikh Gurdwara Act’ and gave legal recognition to the Shiromani Committee. According to the form of Sikh organization prescribed under the Act, the number of members of the Shiromani Committee is 191. Out of these, 170 members are elected by the Sikh voters, while the remaining 15 members are nominated by the members of the Committee. The Jathedars of the five Takhts and the Chief Granthi of Sachkhand Sri Darbar Sahib are its members ex officio, who are called ‘Head Ministers’ in the language of the Act. The 170 members are elected by votes from 120 areas in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh. Out of the total constituencies, 50 constituencies are dual, from which two members are taken each. Out of these, 30 seats are reserved for Sikh women and 20 for Sikhs belonging to the so-called Scheduled Castes. 11 members from outside Punjab are elected by votes from Haryana and one each from Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh. Although the Supreme Court, in its decision on a petition challenging the ‘Haryana Gurdwara (Management) Act-2014’ passed by the Haryana government in 2014, recognized the ‘Haryana Gurdwara (Management) Act-2014’ on 20 September 2022, the maintenance of the Gurdwaras of Haryana was taken over by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, but the existence of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee members of Haryana is still intact. While defining the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, it is said that its functions are to maintain the Gurdwaras, promote Sikh interests and create a representative leadership of Sikhs in the political arena, but in order to make the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee more responsive to the Panthic interests of the Sikhs, its main five objectives were set according to the policy program issued in 1979. First, to preserve the ancient sanctity of Sikhism and to propagate it by expressing the basic principles, principles and ideals of Sikhism. Second, to ensure the political existence of the Sikh community within the framework of national unity. Third, to make Sikh institutions more representative and responsive to contemporary challenges. Fourth, to respond to the needs of Sikhs living in India and abroad outside Punjab. Fifth, to improve the administration of Gurdwaras.
The SGPC pursues various concerns of the Sikh community through its various branches, such as the Trust Branch, the Sikh History Research Board, the Dharam Prachar Committee and the Directorate of Education. Whenever the Sikh community faces any difficulty at the international level, the Trust Branch takes action. At various times, the SGPC has also been rendering humanitarian service through the Trust Branch. The Trust Branch has also been advocating for stopping the desecration of turbans at foreign airports, establishing a separate identity of Sikhs at the international level, and for the freedom of wearing turbans, kirpans and Sikh attire abroad. Advocating for the interests of Sikhs living outside Punjab is also a fundamental basis of the constitutional domain of the Shiromani Committee. In 1998, when the issue of including Shaheed Udham Singh Nagar located in Uttar Pradesh in the newly formed state of Uttaranchal came up, the Shiromani Committee, along with the Akali Dal, strongly opposed it on the grounds that doing so would harm the interests of Sikhs living in this area. After this, the issue of Sikh women wearing helmets outside Punjab arose. The Shiromani Committee took a firm stand on this too. Sikh women in other states including Chandigarh and the national capital Delhi were exempted from wearing helmets as per Sikh morals. During the past years, Prof. The SGPC has been vigorously pursuing the pardon of Davinderpal Singh Bhullar and Bhai Balwant Singh Rajoana and the release of the imprisoned Sikhs in jails, in line with Sikh sentiments, even to the central government. Although today the SGPC has not been effective in many aspects due to the interference of political and external forces, it would not be unreasonable to say that whenever any difficulty or crowd comes to the Sikhs living all over the world, they look to the SGPC with hope.
Initially, all the educational institutions under the SGPC were also run entirely by the trust branch, but in a major expansion in the educational sector, a separate Directorate of Education was created in 2008, under which the SGPC, going beyond traditional education, opened large institutions of technical, health and multi-purpose education. The SGPC is currently running 126 educational institutions, including 2 universities, more than 40 colleges, 18 collegiate schools, 10 aided schools, 23 unaided schools, 19 CBSE/public schools, etc. There are two educational institutions in Chandigarh, about a dozen in Haryana and one in Mumbai.
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee is the only religious body in the world that is elected by the followers of a religion to manage the places of worship in a country. It is also the first democratic body in India to give women the right to vote. An active movement began in the second decade of the twentieth century in the form of the ‘Gurdwara Reform Movement’ to bring the gurdwaras under the Panthic management. The success of this movement was due to the liberation of the Mahants from the control of Gurdwara Rakabganj Sahib, Delhi and Gurdwara Baba Di Ber. On 12 October 1920, the Sikhs liberated the control of Sri Akal Takht Sahib and Sri Darbar Sahib, Amritsar from the Mahants. On 15 November 1920, more than 10,000 Sikhs gathered in front of Sri Akal Takht Sahib, where a representative committee was elected to look after the gurdwaras, which was named ‘Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee’.
In 1925, the British government enacted the ‘Sikh Gurdwara Act’ and gave legal recognition to the Shiromani Committee. According to the form of Sikh organization prescribed under the Act, the number of members of the Shiromani Committee is 191. Out of these, 170 members are elected by the Sikh voters, while the remaining 15 members are nominated by the members of the Committee. The Jathedars of the five Takhts and the Chief Granthi of Sachkhand Sri Darbar Sahib are its members ex officio, who are called ‘Head Ministers’ in the language of the Act. The 170 members are elected by votes from 120 areas in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh. Out of the total constituencies, 50 constituencies are dual, from which two members are taken each. Out of these, 30 seats are reserved for Sikh women and 20 for Sikhs belonging to the so-called Scheduled Castes. 11 members from outside Punjab are elected by votes from Haryana and one each from Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh. Although the Supreme Court, in its decision on a petition challenging the ‘Haryana Gurdwara (Management) Act-2014’ passed by the Haryana government in 2014, recognized the ‘Haryana Gurdwara (Management) Act-2014’ on 20 September 2022, the maintenance of the Gurdwaras of Haryana was taken over by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, but the existence of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee members of Haryana is still intact. While defining the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, it is said that its functions are to maintain the Gurdwaras, promote Sikh interests and create a representative leadership of Sikhs in the political arena, but in order to make the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee more responsive to the Panthic interests of the Sikhs, its main five objectives were set according to the policy program issued in 1979. First, to preserve the ancient sanctity of Sikhism and to propagate it by expressing the basic principles, principles and ideals of Sikhism. Second, to ensure the political existence of the Sikh community within the framework of national unity. Third, to make Sikh institutions more representative and responsive to contemporary challenges. Fourth, to respond to the needs of Sikhs living in India and abroad outside Punjab. Fifth, to improve the administration of Gurdwaras.
The SGPC pursues various concerns of the Sikh community through its various branches, such as the Trust Branch, the Sikh History Research Board, the Dharam Prachar Committee and the Directorate of Education. Whenever the Sikh community faces any difficulty at the international level, the Trust Branch takes action. At various times, the SGPC has also been rendering humanitarian service through the Trust Branch. The Trust Branch has also been advocating for stopping the desecration of turbans at foreign airports, establishing a separate identity of Sikhs at the international level, and for the freedom of wearing turbans, kirpans and Sikh attire abroad. Advocating for the interests of Sikhs living outside Punjab is also a fundamental basis of the constitutional domain of the Shiromani Committee. In 1998, when the issue of including Shaheed Udham Singh Nagar located in Uttar Pradesh in the newly formed state of Uttaranchal came up, the Shiromani Committee, along with the Akali Dal, strongly opposed it on the grounds that doing so would harm the interests of Sikhs living in this area. After this, the issue of Sikh women wearing helmets outside Punjab arose. The Shiromani Committee took a firm stand on this too. Sikh women in other states including Chandigarh and the national capital Delhi were exempted from wearing helmets as per Sikh morals. During the past years, Prof. The SGPC has been vigorously pursuing the pardon of Davinderpal Singh Bhullar and Bhai Balwant Singh Rajoana and the release of the imprisoned Sikhs in jails, in line with Sikh sentiments, even to the central government. Although today the SGPC has not been effective in many aspects due to the interference of political and external forces, it would not be unreasonable to say that whenever any difficulty or crowd comes to the Sikhs living all over the world, they look to the SGPC with hope.
Initially, all the educational institutions under the SGPC were also run entirely by the trust branch, but in a major expansion in the educational sector, a separate Directorate of Education was created in 2008, under which the SGPC, going beyond traditional education, opened large institutions of technical, health and multi-purpose education. The SGPC is currently running 126 educational institutions, including 2 universities, more than 40 colleges, 18 collegiate schools, 10 aided schools, 23 unaided schools, 19 CBSE/public schools, etc. There are two educational institutions in Chandigarh, about a dozen in Haryana and one in Mumbai.
Guru Nanak Khalsa College is running under the auspices of the Shiromani Committee. The establishment of Sri Guru Ramdas Medical University and Sri Guru Granth Sahib World University is a major milestone in the educational sector of the Shiromani Committee.
Similarly, the Dharam Prachar Committee draws up and implements the plans for the propagation of Sikhism. In order to expand the scope of the propagation of Sikhism outside Punjab, the Dharam Prachar Committee of the Shiromani Committee has set up 13 ‘Sikh Missions’ in different states. Apart from India, ‘Sikh Missions’ have also been opened in Nepal and Yuba City, America for the propagation of Sikhism. The Sikh History Research Board works on the preservation of documents related to Sikh history, printing of religious and historical books and other literature, research and correction. It has also been a moral characteristic of the Shiromani Committee that it has been giving the power to the Shiromani Akali Dal to come to power, so that whatever Sikhs have been supporting them for the concerns of Punjab. Both before and after the partition of India and Pakistan, the SGPC has been regularly passing resolutions on the political issues of the Sikhs in its sessions and has been determining its policy programs.
It is clear that the SGPC is a powerful platform of the Sikhs, through which the global Sikh community can fulfill its religious, social, cultural, political and economic concerns and goals. The SGPC is called the Parliament of the Sikhs because of its vast constitutional basis, structure, active role in Sikh concerns, historical importance and sovereignty. Undoubtedly, to function as an effective parliament on a regular basis, the SGPC needs multifaceted efforts and reforms to make its role more responsive and meaningful in the new contexts.
