"Badal tried to influence panel" alleges Patti

AMRITSAR, Jan 8: Sikh Gurdwara Judicial Commission chairman Kashmir Singh Patti, who along with two panel members was removed from office...

AMRITSAR, Jan 8: Sikh Gurdwara Judicial Commission chairman Kashmir Singh Patti, who along with two panel members was removed from office by the Punjab government yesterday, has alleged that Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal wanted to use the commission for political purposes.

Saying that it was a “political decision”, the three members added that they had performed their duty judiciously and had no regrets.

Kashmir Singh, who came to know about his sack through the report in The Indian Express, said that they had not received any official intimation about their removal. He said that having been appointed by the President, he could not be replaced by the Governor, but added that he had not yet made up his mind about challenging the decision.

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Alleging that Badal had tried to influence the commission members in several gurdwara disputes, he added that the Chief Minister might have thought they could not be manipulated.

He said that the three members had nothing to do with the feud between Badal and Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee president Gurcharan Singh Tohra. Saying that he did not know whether Badal wanted to use the commission for toppling Tohra, he added that he would never have succumbed to pressure if such events had taken place during his tenure.

He said he had worked as a “true Sikh” and claimed credit for freeing a dozen historical gurdwaras from the mahants’ control. He said he hadn’t charged any fee from the Akali leaders and their supporters who were lodged in Jodhpur Jail for contesting their cases. He added that he had also refused to accept any fee while acting as counsel for Akal Takht Jathedar Bhai Ranjit Singh in the Nirankari murder case.

Kashmir Singh said that though his political career had come to a halt after joining the commission, he felt compensated by serving the Sikh community.

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He alleged that the commission had been neglected by the government. There were no facilities for members and he had to have the telephone installed at his own expense, he added.

He received a salary of Rs 3,000 per month and the other two members were paid Rs 2,700, while the peon got Rs 4,500, being a permanent employee of commission.

Sacked member Raghbir Singh Sandhu said that they would not have favoured either Badal or Tohra if a petition had been filed against Tohra. He regreted their removal which reflected the government’s distrust in their judiciousness, and added that in the face of their removal the government could very well express lack of faith in the high court judges.

The third member Dara Singh refused to comment on his removal, saying only “I am leaving for my native place Bathinda”.