Advocate Amar Singh Chahal, the legal counsel of Jathedar Bhai Jagtar Singh Hawara has confirmed the maryada statement to be authentic.
Advocate Chahal wrote letter to Sarbat Khalsa appointed Jathedars raising concerns about rejection of appeal issued by Bhai Hawara over Maryada issue.
“I am not sure why interim Jathedar Bhai Dhian Singh Mand did not care to verify the authenticity of the statement with me,” S. Chahal asked in a press note issued.
Amar Singh Chahal has been Bhai Jagtar Singh Hawara’s legal counsel since the Beant “Singh” assassination case. He is one of the few persons, who along with Bhai Hawara’s family members, meet him on regular basis.
While Bhai Mand is the interim Jathedar, he doesn’t currently hold permission to meet Bhai Jagtar Singh Hawara. Due to restrictions imposed by the Tihar Jail since the Sarbat Khalsa 2015, Bhai Jagtar Singh Hawara is not allowed to issue statements via letters as he used to do in past.
“I am in constant touch with Jathedar Bhai Hawara. I don’t understand why Bhai Mand did not consider speaking with me before issuing his statement,” S. Chahal said. “There are people who travel long distances on regular basis to see Bhai Hawara, such people could have been consulted before Bhai Mand declared the statement as unauthentic,” he said.
He asked Bhai Mand to initiate legal process so he can meet Bhai Hawara before issuing statements that cause differences within the Panth. S. Chahal asked Bhai Mand to clarify his statement that he gave to a newspaper in which he said Bhai Hawara’s statement could not be verified. He said that the statement regarding Bhai Jagtar Singh Hawara asking Sikh Sangat to follow Akal Takht Maryada is fully authentic and was issued directly by the Jathedar himself.
In his statement issued this past week, Bhai Jagtar Singh Hawara, said that the Sikh code of conduct implemented by Sri Akal Takht Sahib authorities is supreme and the whole Sikh community ought to live their lives as per it.
Appealing the Sikh sects to refrain from objecting over the Sikh code of conduct, Jathedar Hawara had said that raising the controversial issues could cause the internecine war and harm the ongoing struggle for Sikh sovereignty. He added that the great Sikh of the 20thcentury, Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale, never objected over the Sikh code of conduct prescribed by Sri Akal Takht Sahib.
Recently, a group of preachers from the Damdami Taksal under the leadership of Baba Harnam Singh Dhumma had asked the SGPC appointed Jathedars to make amendments to the Akal Takht Rehit Maryada.