New Delhi : A member of Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee on Wednesday approached the Supreme Court challenging constitutional validity of Haryana Sikh Gurdwara (Management) Act, 2014 under which a separate committee was formed to manage the affairs of the Gurdwaras in the state.
The petitioner Harbhajan Singh, a resident of Haryana, contended that Section 72 of the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966 says that the power to make law in respect of the SGPC as an Inter-State Body Corporate has been reserved to the Central Government only and there is no provision in law for any bifurcation by enacting a State legislation, reports PTI.
Appearing before a bench headed by Justice T S Thakur, senior advocate Harish Salve urged the court to immediately intervene in the matter as the
situation in Haryana has become volatile.
The bench, however, asked him to mention the case before Chief Justice for early hearing.
The petition said the hasty enactment is not only against the constitutional provisions and the statutory provisions of Punjab
Reorganisation Act but is also divisive in its intention to create dissension amongst followers of Sikh religion.
“Under the law, Haryana cannot legislate in respect of a subject where the field is already occupied by central legislation as the subject of religious institutions correlates to Entry 28 List III.
(To receive our E-paper on whatsapp daily, please click here. We permit sharing of the paper's PDF on WhatsApp and other social media platforms.)
