HSGMC a legal entity, Centre should back off , says Jhinda

Satish Sethi

Kaithal, March 2

In an emergency meeting held here today, the HSGMC criticized the stand taken by the Centre before the Supreme Court on a case regarding the constitution of the act by the state legislature.

A decision to pursue the case by engaging the best constitutional experts to argue the case was also taken. HSGMC chief Jagdish Singh Jhinda along with Didar Singh Nalvi senior vice- president presided over the two hour long deliberations.

Addressing media persons in Gurdwara Neem Sahib, Jhinda said that the Centre was playing a partisan role. After a long struggle the Sikhs in Haryana had been able to achieve their cherished dream of having a separate managing committee. In an affidavit in the SC the Centre had had opposed the Haryana Act and claimed that state had no authority to enact a law on this subject.

Jhinda said that under the Punjab Re- organisation Act, 1966, Haryana was carved out as a separate state and after that KU and HAU were set up in the state. Similarly, setting a separate body to look after Haryana Sikh shrines was mandatory but successive governments had ignored this aspect due to political considerations.

However, in July 2014 the Assembly passed the HSGM Act which was endorsed by the Governor. As such, there was no need for presidential consent on this issue. Jhinda said that Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal has prevailed on the government on this issue.

Nalvi said that the legislature had formed the committee after long deliberations and they would fight this case tooth and nail in the SC.