Chandigarh, Jul 4 (IANS): The Haryana cabinet, presided over by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, here on Tuesday accorded approval to the formulation of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (Delimitation of wards and elections) Rules, 2023.

The tenure of the ad hoc committee constituted to manage and supervise the affairs of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee is going to expire after 18 months. Accordingly, it is necessary to hold elections of gurdwaras in Haryana to elect members of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee and for that purpose rules are required to be enacted, an official statement said.

In order to provide better autonomous management and effective supervision of Sikh gurdwaras and gurdwara properties in Haryana, the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara (Management) Act, 2014 (for brevity the Act) was enacted by the state vide notification dated July 14, 2014.

The Haryana Sikh Gurdwara (Management) Act, 2014 was challenged by way of filing of writ petition before the Supreme Court. In the petition, the apex court vide order dated August 7, 2014, directed that the status quo with regard to gurdwaras must be maintained by all concerned.

In view of the directions, the ad hoc committee continued beyond the period of its limitation of 18 months as provided under sub-section (8) of Section 16 of the Act. Later, on September 20, 2022, the writ petition was finally dismissed by the Supreme Court.

As the requisite rules, stipulated under Section 52 of the Act for conducting the gurdwara elections were not formulated so as to elect the members from various wards. Hence, after carrying out amendment in clause (8) of Section 16 of the Act an ad hoc committee was constituted to manage and supervise the affairs of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee till a new committee as stipulated under Sections 3 and 4 of the Act is not constituted by holding elections.