CHANDIGARH, Punjab (August 15, 2013)—Giani Mal Singh has been appointed as Takhat Sri Keshgarh Sahib Jathedar after the demise of Giani Tirlochan Singh. The decision was made at the recent executive meeting of SGPC in Chandigarh. Giani Mal Singh has served as a senior Granthi at Sri Harmandir Sahib and was nominated recently as the Head Granthi there.
Giani Jagtar Singh (Bhikhiwind) will now serve as the Head Granthi of Sri Harmandir Sahib.
After the passing of Giani Tirlochan Singh, names of various Sikhs had come into the limelight as the potential candidate of Jathedar position.
The Dal Khalsa had earlier asked the SGPC to appoint the new Jathedar after taking consensus from the entire Sikh Nation. In an email sent to SGPC President Avtar Makkar, Bhai Kanwar Pal Singh stated that, “SGPC [has] wrongly presumed that it was the sole representative of the Sikh Panth.”
The statement has come after the SGPC has handled the affair of appointment and removal of Takhat Jathedars without consultation from other Sikh bodies.
Various other decisions taken at the meeting include –
- Hiring linguistic experts to guide foreigners at Sri Harmandir Sahib
- Provide a facelift to the Kendri Sikh Ajaib Ghar (Central Sikh Museum)
- Install a portrait of Giani Tirclohan Singh at the Kendri Sikh Ajiab Ghar
- Erect a memorial to remember martyrs of the Hondh Chillar incident in Haryana
- Strengthen the offerings at Khalsa English Medium School in Chittisinghpura, J&K
- Install a cancer treatment machine at Sri Guru Ramdaas Charitable Trust Hospital in Amritsar