On Friday, the Akal Takht, the supreme temporal authority of the Sikhs, declared Sukhbir Singh Badal, President of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), guilty of religious misconduct. The decision pertains to actions taken by his party and the Punjab state government during their tenure from 2007 to 2017. Sukhbir Singh Badal was declared a ‘tankhaiya’—a term used in Sikhism to denote someone guilty of religious transgressions.
Following the declaration, Sukhbir Singh Badal expressed his submission to the order of the Akal Takht, stating in a public message that he bows his head and will soon appear before the Akal Takht to seek forgiveness.
The decision was made after a meeting of the five Sikh head priests, where the Jathedar of the Akal Takht, Gyani Raghbir Singh, instructed Sukhbir Singh Badal to appear before the Akal Takht within 15 days to apologize for decisions made during his tenure as Deputy Chief Minister and as Shiromani Akali Dal President. These decisions, according to the Jathedar, deeply harmed the image of the Sikh community and caused damage to Sikh interests.
Sukhbir Singh Badal will remain a ‘tankhaiya’ until he formally apologizes for his actions, Gyani Raghbir Singh announced during the pronouncement of the verdict at the Akal Takht complex in Amritsar.
The Jathedar also directed Sikh community members who served as ministers in the Shiromani Akali Dal government from 2007 to 2017 to personally appear before the Akal Takht and submit a written explanation within 15 days.
While specific details of Sukhbir Singh Badal’s transgressions were not disclosed, the declaration is believed to be linked to several incidents that occurred during the Shiromani Akali Dal’s governance. These include the theft of a bir (copy) of the Guru Granth Sahib, the appearance of handwritten sacrilegious posters, and the discovery of torn pages of the holy book scattered in Bargari, Faridkot, in 2015. These incidents, which took place under the Shiromani Akali Dal’s rule, led to widespread unrest and anti-sacrilege protests, during which two people were killed and several others injured in police firing.
The Sikh clergy present at the meeting included Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh of Takht Damdama Sahib.
In anticipation of the Akal Takht’s decision, Sukhbir Singh Badal had recently appointed senior Shiromani Akali Dal leader Balwinder Singh Bhundar as the party’s working president and sought unconditional forgiveness for any mistakes made during the Shiromani Akali Dal’s time in power. He submitted a written explanation to the Akal Takht Jathedar, following allegations made by rebel leaders within the party who called for his resignation.
In his letter to the Jathedar, Sukhbir Singh Badal expressed that he is a “humble servant” of the Guru, dedicated to the Guru Granth Sahib and the Akal Takht. He assured that he and his associates would humbly accept every order issued by the Akal Takht in accordance with ‘Gurmat’ traditions.
Rebel leaders within the Shiromani Akali Dal, including former Member of Parliament Prem Singh Chandumajra and former Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) President Bibi Jagir Kaur, had appeared before the Jathedar on July 1, seeking forgiveness for four significant mistakes committed during the party’s governance from 2007 to 2017.
Earlier this month, the Akal Takht Secretariat in Amritsar released a copy of the three-page letter that Sukhbir Singh Badal submitted to Gyani Raghbir Singh, responding to the accusations leveled by the rebel leaders on July 24.
A faction of party leaders has revolted against Sukhbir Singh Badal, urging him to step down from his leadership position.
In his letter, Sukhbir Singh Badal also attached a copy of an October 2015 letter written by his father, the then Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, to the Akal Takht. The letter addressed the tragic incidents that took place in Punjab between 2007 and 2015, including the aforementioned sacrilege incidents and a 2007 blasphemy case involving Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who was accused of imitating the 10th Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh.
Sukhbir Singh Badal was accused of using his influence to secure a pardon for the Dera Sacha Sauda chief in the blasphemy case. In 2015, the Akal Takht initially pardoned the Dera chief based on a written apology, but later rescinded the decision due to pressure from the Sikh community and hardline factions.
