Retd High Court Judge Navita Singh to probe case of 267 missing saroops of Guru Granth Sahib

Navita Singh, a retired judge of the Punjab and Haryana high court, will probe the case of the missing 267 saroops of Guru Granth Sahib.

Akal Takht, the supreme temporal seat of the Sikhs, announced this on Friday after a section of the community expressed doubts over the fairness of the panel constituted by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) to inquire into the case. The SGPC had also urged Akal Takht to hand over the probe to a retired judge or independent Sikh personality.

Acting jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh announced the name of the retired woman Sikh judge. He said Ishar Singh, a lawyer at the Telangana high court, will assist her in the probe.

“On July 12, the SGPC executive committee passed a resolution, urging Akal Takht to get the matter probed at its own level. So, the probe has been assigned to Navita Singh. If the need arises, the services of account experts, former and incumbent employees and officials of the SGPC will be provided to investigators who have been asked to give their report within a month. Akal Takht will take action accordingly,” the acting jathedar said.

MAY 2016 FIRE SPARKED OFF CASE

Fourteen saroops of Guru Granth Sahib were damaged in a fire at the SGPC publishing house at Gurdwara Ramsar Sahib in May 2016, according to the committee but the Punjab Human Rights Organisation (PHRO) claimed after five years that the damage was done at a mass scale and that this fact was hidden to save the then SAD-BJP government from public wrath as the Bargari sacrilege incident was already a burning issue and the assembly elections were close.

On the basis of the statement of a retired employee of the SGPC, the PHRO said that 267 saroops went missing after the fire and a probe must be conducted to ascertain their whereabouts.

COMMON DIGITAL PLATFORM

FOR PANTHIC UNITY

Giani Harpreet Singh said a common digital platform will be introduced for Panthic unity in the light of the ideology of Guru Granth Sahib and to defeat divisive forces. “The step has been taken in view that some elements are trying to divide the Panth. Announcement of this platform will be made after discussing the matter at a meeting of the Panj Singh Sahiban (five Sikh clergymen),” he said.

Besides, the jathedar appealed to Sikh youngsters to adopt constructive thinking and focus on academics to achieve greater heights in economic, social and political fields.

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