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Journalism of Courage
AMRITSAR, March 10: The Sikh Gurdwara Judicial Commission today adjourned hearing of the contempt petition against Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandak Committee (SGPC) president Gurcharan Singh Tohra to March 15 on the request of Tohra’s counsel Manpreet Singh Sood.
Sood told the commission that the High Court was hearing a petition challenging the appointment of judges of this very commission and the petition may be adjourned for four weeks. He also moved an application seeking transfer of SGPC cases to the High Court since his client had no trust in the commission. The commission, however, rejected the application.
Ten executive members of the SGPC loyal to Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had filed a contempt application against Tohra alleging that he had not called an executive committee meeting on February 10 last for which the commission had made an order.
This application was made in continuation of the main petition filed by them for removal of Tohra and nine other respondents on charges of malfunctioning.
Sood, who is also the counsel for SGPC member Sarup Singh Dhesi, in a different case today filed an application seeking to revive the petition dismissed by the commission on the last hearing on March 4. Through this petition, Dhesi has demanded to revoke the decisions of the February 10 executive meeting in which Akal Takht Jathedar Bhai Ranjit Singh was suspended.
The commission has fixed March 31 for hearing of Dhesi’s application. On the same day, a petition filed by Dhesi seeking to disqualify 10 SGPC executive members would also be taken up. Dhesi has pleaded that the 10 executive members were “patit Sikhs”.
