The Haryana Sikh Gurdwaras (Management) Act.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the validity of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwaras (Management) Act, 2014.

The verdict paved the way for the formation of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC).

The Supreme Court upheld the validity of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara (Management) Act, 2014, under which a separate committee was formed to manage the affairs of gurdwaras (houses of worship) in the state, saying affairs of the religious minority in the state, i.e. Sikhs were left in the hands of the Sikhs alone.

To strengthen Sikhism, a small group of prominent Sikhs led by Thakur Singh Sandhawalia and Giani Gian Singh founded the Singh Sabha of Amritsar in 1873.
It had a two-fold objective:
- To make modern western education available to the Sikhs.
- To counter the proselytising activities of Christian missionaries as the Brahmo Samajists, Arya Samajists and Muslim maulvis.

For the first objective, the Sabha established a network of Khalsa schools throughout Punjab.
In the second direction, everything that went against the Guru’s Teachings was rejected, and rites and customs considered consistent with Sikh doctrine were sought to be established.

The Akali movement (also known as Gurudwara Reform Movement) was an offshoot of the Singh Sabha Movement.
It aimed at liberating the Sikh Gurudwaras from the control of corrupt Udasi mahants.
The government tried its repressive policies against the non-violent non-cooperation satyagraha launched by the Akalis in 1921 but had to bow before popular demands.
The government passed the Sikh Gurdwaras Act in 1922 and amended it in 1925.

It was a piece of legislation in British India which legally defined Sikh identity and brought Sikh gurdwaras (houses of worship) under the control of an elected body of orthodox Sikhs.
It gave the control of gurudwaras to the Sikh masses to be administered through Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) as the apex body.

It is an organisation in India responsible for the management of gurdwaras, Sikh places of worship in three states of Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh and the union territory of Chandigarh.
SGPC also administers Darbar Sahib in Amritsar.
The chief minister of Punjab governs the SGPC.

The SGPC manages the security, financial, facility maintenance and religious aspects of Gurdwaras and keeps archaeologically rare and sacred artefacts, including weapons, clothes, books and writings of the Sikh Gurus.

Sikhism is an Indian religion that originated in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent around the end of the 15th century CE.
It was founded by Guru Nanak and is based on his teachings and those of the 9 Sikh gurus who followed him.
The Sikh place of worship is called a Gurdwara.
Sikhs believe that the way to lead a good life is to:
- Keep God in heart and mind at all times.
- Live honestly and work hard.
- Treat everyone equally.
- Be generous to the less fortunate.
- Serve others.

The tenth Sikh Guru decreed that after his death, the spiritual guide of the Sikhs would be the teachings contained in that book, so the Guru Granth Sahib now has the status of a Guru, and Sikhs show it the respect they would give to a human Guru.
10 Gurus of Sikhism:

Pic Courtesy: News 18

Content Source: The Indian Express