Akal Takht, Takht Patna Sahib resolve standoff; edicts against Sukhbir Badal withdrawn

Akal Takht officiating Jathedar Kuldeep Singh Gargaj held a meeting with five Sikh high priests on Monday in connection with resolving the ongoing standoff between Akal Takht and Takht Sri Patna Sahib.

The standoff was amicably resolved during a Panj Singh Sahiban meeting under Jathedar Gargaj’s leadership.

Management of Takht Patna Sahib apologised to Akal Takht.

The five high priests accepted the letter of Bihar-based Takht withdrawing all previous edicts, that declared, Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal, jathedars of Akal Takht and Takht Damdama Sahib ‘tankhaiya’.

Akal Takht today received a mail from Takht Patna Sahib that all edicts passed by its five high priests on May 21 and July 5 were withdrawn.

In response, Akal Takht also withdrew the edicts issued against the management of Takht Patna Sahib.

In a communiqué of the management of Takht Patna Sahib on July 12, its president Jagjot Singh and general secretary Inderjit Singh requested Akal Takht to review the decisions taken in context with the Bihar-based Takht.

Management of Takht Patna Sahib seeking apology to Akal Takht stated that they were dedicated to supreme temporal seat of Sikhs — Akal Takht and will remain so. They stated that for the ‘panthic’ unity and larger interests of the Khalsa religion, they requested Gargaj to review the decisions and demanded more time to present their side.

Gargaj announced that the five high priests at Akal Takht, on May 21, had passed a decree stopping ‘panthic’ services of Head Granthi of Takht Patna Sahib Bhai Baldev Singh and additional head Granthi Gurdial Singh, stood cancelled today. Former Takht Patna Sahib Jathedar Giani Ranjit Singh Gauhar was directed to withdraw the case filed against the management committee of Takht Patna Sahib.

He ordered the president and general secretary of the management committee of Takht Patna Sahib to pay all pending dues of Gauhar. He also directed all, including Gauhar not to air their views on media and social media over the matter.

This is not the first time Sukhbir has faced such censure. On August 30, 2024, five high priests led by then Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh had declared him ‘tankhaiya’ for controversial decisions taken during his tenure as the Punjab Deputy Chief Minister and as SAD president. While undergoing religious penance at the Golden Temple, Sukhbir narrowly survived an assassination attempt on December 4 when Khalistani militant Narayan Singh Chaura opened fire at him as he served as a ‘sewadar’ at the shrine’s entrance.

Punjab