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Sehajdhari? You are either a Sikh
or not
Mewa Singh
 Sehajdharis are
not Sikhs should be the clear stand of SGPC in the high court in the
cases before it, as there are no categories in Sikhs. One is either
a Sikh or not.
Those who
violate the prescribed Sikh initiation and Sikh code of conduct are
called patits and they can come in the mainstream of Sikh panth by
re-initiation and observance of Sikh code of conduct.
The so-called
Sehajdhari Sikhs do not take Sikh initiation and observe Sikh code
of conduct, which are part of Sikh religion and they rather cut
their hair. They thus obviously do not fulfill the prerequisites to
be called Sikhs. If any person believes in Sikh religion, then there
should be no hesitation to keep the hair intact and wear turban on
the head to appear to be Sikh, to get Sikh initiation and remain in
the Sikh code of conduct, to become and act as Sikh.
Confusion was
created by making Sehajdhari Sikhs as voters in Sikh Gurdawaras Act
by an amendment in 1959. They had not been given any recognition or
made voters for SGPC elections in Sikh Gurdwara Act 1925. In the
provisions of this Act, even Sikhs who did not keep their hair
intact were declared patits and debarred to become voters. In 1959
the amendment was made in the Act to empower non-Sikhs with voting
rights in the garb of Sehajdhari to oust Akali Dal from the SGPC as
it had the full support of Sikhs and was in confrontation with the
then Indian government on the issue of reorganization of
Punjab along
linguistic lines.
The president of
SGPC, who was nominee of Master Tara Singh, Akali leader, was
actually removed under no confidence motion with the support of
Congress Government in 1959. The Master threatened to fast unto
death.
Jawaharlal
Nehru, prime minister of
India invited
the Akali leader, Master Tara Singh, for talks and said the
government had no intention to interfere in the religious affairs of
Sikhs.
A compromise
emerged in their meeting named "Nehru-Tara Singh pact", vide which
the government was to never interfere in Sikh religious affairs and
no amendment of Sikh Gurdawaras Act was to be made without the
concurrence of SGPC.
In the general
elections of SGPC held in the next year in 1960, Akali Dal won 136
seats out of 140, while Congress sponsored board could get only 4
seats. Thereafter, Akali Dal won SGPC elections uptil now and
retained its control over it. The amended provision was not
exploited. The SGPC passed resolutions several times to repeal the
1959 amendment but it was not done. It even passed the resolution
that there are no Sehajdhari Sikhs now.
In 2003, just
before the 2004-SGPC elections, this amendment was undone by
Government of India and Sehajdhari Sikhs were deprived of the right
to be the voters for SGPC elections.
In the Delhi
Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee Act, 1971, no Sehajdhari Sikh has
been recognized to become the voter for the election of the
management committee of the Gurdawaras and neither any patit Sikh
who has cut his hair.
Now, no
Sehajdhari Sikh can become voter for any statutory Gurdwara
management elections. There is no recognition of Sehajdhari Sikhs in
Sikh religion. Either one is a Sikh or not. If someone aspires to
become a Sikh then he has to become a Sikh by coming under the Sikh
code of conduct. There is a lot of difference to aspire and to
become a Sikh. In every religion those persons who follow the code
of conduct of that religion are termed to be the followers of that
religion. There are no Sehajdhari Christians, Muslims or Hindus. Why
an exception for Sikh religion, which is even more strict to its
discipline and code of conduct?
In matters of
religion, there can be no scope for personal discretions as the
dictums of a religion are to be accepted without reservations. The
considerations of majority and minority, to count votes, in such
matters are irrelevant. The dictums of a religion are perpetual and
cannot be altered on the whims of its followers.
The author is a
retired judge based in the
United States
and known for his clear delineation of issues regarding Sikhism.
17 December
2008
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