Akal Takht head resigns
August 5th, 2008 - 2:46 pm ICT by IANS
Amritsar, Aug 5 (IANS) The head of the Akal Takht - the highest temporal seat of Sikh religion - Joginder Singh Vedanti resigned from his post Tuesday. Vedanti submitted his resignation to the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) president Avtar Singh Makkar.
No reasons have been given for Vedanti’s sudden resignation but SGPC sources said it could be the fallout of the row between the Sikh community and the Dera Sacha Sauda sect.
Vedanti was being seen in Sikh circles, especially in the state’s ruling Akali Dal, as not taking the Akali Dal political line against the Dera sect chief.
The resignation of Vedanti is likely to be discussed at a SGPC meeting taking place in Kurukshetra town in Haryana later Tuesday. He has been heading the body for the last nearly eight years.
The Akali Takht chief has been in controversy in recent months owing to his foreign visits and other issues.
Akal Takht (meaning seat of god) is one of the five highest religious seats in Sikh religion. It is located at the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar, right opposite Harmandar Sahib - the holiest of all Sikh shrines.
The Akal Takht ‘Jathedar’ (head) is the supreme religious authority of the seat in Sikh religion. He has the authority to issue religious edicts.
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Tags: akal takht, amritsar, avtar singh, circles, controversy, dera sacha sauda sect, fallout, god is one, golden temple, joginder, religion, religious edicts, sgpc, sikh community, sikh shrines, sudden resignation, supreme religious authority