The High Court of Uttarakhand has issued notices to Archaeological Survey of India director, Government of India and the Governments of Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh directing them to submit a reply within three weeks regarding the location of the Gyan Godri Gurudwara in Haridwar.
The notices were served by the division bench of justice Sudhanshu Dhulia and justice Alok Kumar Verma. According to the case details, the state head of the Uttarakhand Sikh Federation Gurudev Singh Sahota had filed a public interest litigation. He had stated that on the arrival of Guru Nanank in Haridwar, the then king of Landhaura had allocated land for Gyan Godri Gurudwara in Haridwar.
The status was maintained till 1976 but then for beautification of Har ki Paidi, the Gurudwara was shifted from there on the assurance that it would be established at the same place later. However, the needful has not been done till now. A complaint was made to the national commission for minorities in 2001.
On the commission’s directions, the then district magistrate of Haridwar had selected a site for the Gurudwara and forwarded it to the State administration. However, during inquiry, this site was found to be under the purview of the Uttar Pradesh Government.
After a complaint was made again to the commission, the commission had directed the chief secretaries of both the states to facilitate allocation of land for the Gyan Godri Gurudwara. However, this case is pending till now. The petitioner, citing the Gurudwara as a historical and cultural heritage has sought its development on the lines of the Kartarpur corridor.