Amritsar, February 26 The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Thursday decided to retire the head granthi of the Golden Temple, Giani Raghbir Singh, days after he flagged corrupt practices and irregularities within the apex gurdwara body.
On February 19, the SGPC had served him a notice to substantiate his allegations within 72 hours.
A day before this, Singh had alleged irregularities within the SGPC, claiming that money from the unauthorized sale of gurdwara land and funds from the sale of dried 'langar' were being embezzled.
The executive committee of the SGPC held a special meeting in Amritsar on Thursday to deliberate on the 72-hour notice served to Singh. After detailed discussions, the committee has decided to retire him from service, the SGPC said in a statement.
It said the decision was taken on the grounds that not only did Singh fail to produce any evidence to substantiate his allegations within the stipulated time, but also he continued to raise questions on management matters in violation of established service rules.
Noting that Singh recently held a press conference to reiterate his allegations, SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami said that by going to the press, Singh not only violated SGPC service regulations but also undermined the dignity and sanctity of the highly respected office of the head granthi of Sachkhand Sri Harmandar Sahib.
It was also noted that Singh had been performing his morning and evening religious duties at the shrine only minimally, which did not do justice to the responsibility and honour of the post, he said.
Dhami also addressed what he said was a "false narrative" being spread by certain quarters regarding the sale of SGPC properties "to create confusion among the Sikh sangat".
The reality was quite the opposite, he said.
During his tenure as president, Dhami said, the SGPC purchased properties on a large scale. There has also been a substantial increase in the financial deposits of gurdwaras, the SGPC, and its Dharam Prachar Committee.
Providing the figures, he said that between 2020-21 and 2025-26, the SGPC purchased property worth Rs 111 crore.
In the same period, the combined budgets of gurdwaras increased from Rs 577 crore to Rs 1,120 crore.
Fixed deposits and other reserves of various gurdwaras rose by about Rs 600 crore, Dhami said, sharing detailed disclosures regarding the increase in deposits of individual gurdwaras.
In addition, he noted, the SGPC's fixed deposits increased by Rs 273.60 crore, while deposits of the Dharam Prachar Committee rose by Rs 121.45 crore.
Dhami added that Rs 182 crore was separately allocated during this period for SGPC's educational institutions, sourced from SGPC's funds as well as from various gurdwaras.