Global Sikh Council condemns Takht Patna Sahib’s ‘religious overreach’; reaffirms Akal Takht as sole Panthic religious authority

Global Sikh Council condemns Takht Patna Sahib’s ‘religious overreach’; reaffirms Akal Takht as sole Panthic religious authority

Bahadurjeet Singh/Chandigarh, July 7, 2025

The Global Sikh Council (GSC), representing Sikh institutions worldwide, has strongly condemned the unilateral declaration by five Granthis of Takht Sri Harmandir Sahib, Patna Sahib, branding Sukhbir Singh Badal, president of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) as Tankhaiya (guilty of religious misconduct). The GSC has termed this calculated and instigated move a blatant violation of Sikh Maryada, a breach of Panthic protocol and an instigated and direct challenge to the authority and primacy of Sri Akal Takht Sahib, which is the only temporal seat empowered to adjudicate Panth-wide matters.

In a statement issued here today, the GSC President Dr Kanwaljit Kaur added that regional Takhats – because of their regional jurisdiction and considerable state control on their operations and policy – cannot have anything other than regional jurisdiction over local issues. Sukhbir Singh is not a resident of Patna or Bihar and the alleged allegations against him are not of a regional but national nature. So, he, his party and his actions are clearly outside the jurisdiction of this regional Takhat, she added.

Dr Kanwarjit Kaur emphasized that Sri Akal Takht Sahib, holds exclusive jurisdiction over Panthic decisions and is supreme its history goes to a period that supersedes that of the other 4 Takhats. In contrast, there is a hierarchy amongst the Takhats as regional Takhts including Patna Sahib, Hazur Sahib, Kesgarh Sahib and Damdama Sahib Sahib were institutionalised later by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) to oversee local religious affairs. The other 4 Takhats were set up later – in the 17th century, the early 18th century and one in 1966. They were four in count till 1966 and then increased to five.

She added that this position was reaffirmed in the 2003 Gurmatta by the Panj Singh Sahibaan (Five Takht Jathedars), which declared that only Sri Akal Takhat Sahib could issue Hukamnamas on Panthic issues. Afterwards, another edict from Sri Akal Takhat Sahib Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh in 2015 further clarified that no regional Takhat may contradict or override its authority. Hence, no other regional Takht or its granthis are empowered to issue Hukamnamas or Adesh on entire community-wide issues, she said.

The Council reiterated that regional Takhts have to function in coordination with and under the leadership of Sri Akal Takht Sahib, which remains the central institution of Sikh governance and unity under the ‘Panj Pardhani’ system. Dr Kanwarjit Kaur said, “It is tragic that a revered Takht like Patna Sahib is being exploited by political proxies to fragment Sikh unity and bypass established religious conventions at their behest. The 1986 Sarbat Khalsa and subsequent Akal Takhat edicts have repeatedly stressed that no individual or institution can usurp the collective will of the Khalsa Panth.”

The GSC President emphasized that the ultimate function of Takhats is to unify the Panth and act in harmony with Akal Takhat and each other. Any Takhat issuing commands (Hukumnamas or Adesh)  on its own declaring other Sikhs as Tankhaiya do not serve such a purpose. Such actions pit one Takhat against another, cause dissension within the SIkh panth and eventually erode the respect and sanctity of the Takhats, she added.

The GSC urged all Sikh institutions and sangat to recognise only Akal Takht’s supremacy and asked the SGPC to take action against erring committee members who are undermining Sikh sovereignty. Moreover, the GSC has told the Patna Sahib committee to introspect and retract its unlawful decree and submit to Panthic discipline. The GSC has also condemned earlier statements by the Patna Sahib representatives who openly rejected Akal Takht’s authority. “Weakening Akal Takht’s authority and centrality is anti-Gurmat, anti-Panthak and a betrayal of Guru Hargobind Singh Ji’s vision of Miri-Piri unity besides a disservice to the collective spirit of Khalsa,” warned Kanwarjit Kaur.