Takht Sri Patna Sahib calls Akal Takht’s ‘tankhaiya’ order ‘null & void’
Hours after Akal Takht declared three of the five high priests of Takht Sri Patna Sahib ‘tankhaiya’ (guilty of religious misconduct) and summoned its entire management committee, the Bihar-based outfit late Saturday night rejected the order, calling it “null and void”.
The panj pyaras at Takht Sri Patna Sahib maintained that since they had already declared Akal Takht’s officiating Jathedar Kuldeep Singh Gargaj and Takht Sri Damdama Sahib Jathedar Giani Tek Singh as ‘tankhaiyas’, the duo no longer held the religious or constitutional authority to penalise other clergy.
They unanimously rejected the directive issued by Akal Takht, the highest temporal body of Sikhism, and strictly instructed Takht Sri Patna Sahib’s high priests and management committee office-bearers and members not to appear before it. “Anyone violating the directive will be considered a ‘tankhaiya’ and dealt with strictly as per panthic traditions,” the panj pyaras declared in their order.
Takht Sri Patna Sahib spokesperson Sudeep Singh said that while Akal Takht held the supreme position among all Sikh religious bodies, any edict must follow a defined procedure.
“The quorum is complete only when all the five jathedars of the Takhts are present. But the meeting where action was taken against Takht Sri Patna Sahib representatives had only two jathedars— Kuldeep Singh Gargaj and Baba Tek Singh—and the rest were granthis,” he said.
The conflict between the two prominent Sikh religious institutions escalated on Saturday after Takht Sri Patna Sahib declared Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal a ‘tankhaiya’, an order that was swiftly rejected by Akal Takht.
The spokesperson wondered why Akal Takht had not reacted as swiftly when, on May 21, Takht Sri Patna Sahib had declared Kuldeep Singh Gargaj and Giani Tek Singh ‘tankhaiya’ for reinstating Bihar body’s excommunicated Jathedar Ranjit Singh Gauhar and summoning its granthis.
The spokesperson said Akal Takht “favoured” Sukhbir when he had not even approached the top body. “This clearly reflects the patronage being extended by the Akal Takht’s officiating Jathedar to Sukhbir, who was earlier declared a ‘tankhaiya’ after he admitted to his sins,” he said.
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