Authorities in Jammu and Kashmir seem to have forgotten holding elections for Gurudwara Prabandak Board three years after election process for Gurudwara Pabandak Committees was completed, rendering the 2015 polls futile.
Gurduwara Prabandak Board is the highest body of Sikhs responsible for the management of Gurdwaras across the state, looking after administration, finance, maintenance and all other religious affairs of the community.
The Board members are elected by an electoral college. The Jammu province comprising 10 districts elect eight members for the Board while seven members are elected from Kashmir province, including Ladakh.
The term of the elected Board members is five years. The last elections held for the Board were in 2003. Its term ended in 2008.
In 2015, after a gap of thirteen years, the state government held elections to the district level Gurduwara Prabandak Committees.
According to the Jammu and Kashmir Sikh Gurdwaras and Religious Endowment Act (1973), the notification for the election to Gurduwara Prabandak Board shall be issued within fifteen days after holding of these district level polls.
There is anger among the Sikh community against the alleged casual approach being adopted by the government to conduct this much-awaited election, as in absence of the Board they are not able to run religious affairs effectively at Gurduwaras.
Although the matter is in the court, it is widely perceived that the government has done nothing so far to fight the issue legally to get the stay vacated to complete the process of constituting the Board for smooth functioning and management of Gurudwaras in the state.
In 2015, the government had replaced district Pulwama with district Bandipora in the Electoral College which the Sikh community opposed saying, “Bandipora has no population of Sikhs.”
The Sikh community members from Pulwama approached the state High Court and secured a stay for the replacement order.
“The state Gurdwara Board elections have been delayed due to litigation, but it is responsibility of the government to get the stay vacated by fighting the issue legally in the court of law,” said Santpal Singh, president Gurduwara Prabandak Committee of Budgam.
“The way government has adopted casual approach in this issue, it appears that those at the helm of affairs are not interested to complete the election process.”
There are around 500 Sikh shrines in Jammu and Kashmir.
All Gurdwaras in the state are managed by the Board through respective District Parbandhak Committees constituted under the JKSGRE Act.
District Parbandhak Committees are elected by a polling process by the respective Deputy Commissioners.
Law Secretary Abdul Majid Bhat said that authorities were waiting for the court verdict.