Delhi Assembly approves Delhi Sikh Gurdwara (Amendment) Bill 2022

The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara (Amendment) Bill 2022 seeking to add the head priest of Shri Akal Takht Damdama Sahib Talwandi Sabo, Bhatinda to the list of existing four head priests of the Sri Akal Takhts at the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee has been approved by the Delhi Legislative Assembly on Tuesday.

New Delhi: The Delhi Legislative Assembly unanimously approved the 'Delhi Sikh Gurdwara (Amendment) Bill 2022' on Tuesday. The bill was proposed by the Delhi Gurdwara Elections Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam on Monday, seeking to add the head priest of Shri Akal Takht Damdama Sahib Talwandi Sabo, Bhatinda to the list of existing four head priests of the Sri Akal Takhts at the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC).

Resultant of the approval of this amendment, the number of nominated members under the DSGMC will now stand at five, including Shri Akal Takht Sahib Amritsar, Shri Akal Takht Sahib Anandpur, Shri Akal Takht Sahib Patna, Shri Akal Takht Huzur Sahib Nanded and Shri Akal Takht Damdama Sahib Talwandi Sabo, Bathinda as the chief priests of Punjab.

The Delhi Assembly had earlier released a statement in the matter saying, “The total members at the DSGMC, after the proposed amendment, would include 46 elected members and 10 nominated members, taking the total tally of the DSGMC members to 56."

The amendment also sought to add one more member to the list of nominated members of the DSGMC, taking its total to 10. Now that the bill has been approved by the Delhi Legislative Assembly, it will be required to be reserved by the Lieutenant Governor for consideration by the President of India, as informed by the official sources.