The lok Sabha on Monday passed two Bills — one related to a historic Bill to amend a 91-year-old law to exclude Sahajdharis from voting in the elections to Sikh religious bodies, fulfilling a long- pending demand of the community ahead of Assembly elections in Punjab next year, and the other to provide legislative backing to the Regional Centre for Biotechnology and empower it to award masters and Phd degrees.
The Sikh Gurdwaras (Amendment) Bill, 2016 was passed by the lok Sabha more than a month after the Rajya Sabha approved it.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said the demand for not giving voting rights to Sahajdari Sikhs was made by the SGPC.
“The SGPC office bearers and members have often demanded that those who are not Sikhs should not be given voting rights (in the election to select elect the members of the Board and the Committees constituted under the Act). The SPGC General Assembly of 2001 also passed a resolution regarding this. The High Court has said a competent legislature needs to pass the Bill. Even the Rajya Sabha has passed the Bill unanimously,” Singh said.
The definition of Sehajdhari Sikh has no religious sanction as far as the fundamental tenets of the religion are concerned. This nomenclature was added to the Sikh Gurdwara Act, 1925 under certain circumstances prevailing then. The Bill proposes to remove the exception given to Sahajdharis in 1944 to vote in elections to select members of the Board and the Committees constituted under the Act.