Non-baptised Sikhs can vote in SGPC polls: Court
December 20th, 2011 - 6:52 pm ICT by IANSChandigarh, Dec 20 (IANS) Quashing an October 2003 central government notification, the Punjab and Haryana High Court Tuesday allowed voting rights to Sehajdhari or non-baptised Sikhs in elections to the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the mini-parliament of the religion.
The bench comprising Justice Surya Kant and Justice M. Jeyapaul, quashed the Oct 8, 2003 notification of the central government under which the Sehajdhari Sikhs were barred from voting in the SGPC polls.
Sehajdhari Sikhs are those who cut or trim their beards and hair in violation of the Sikh religious tenets. Otherwise, such Sikhs follow the religion, its gurus and the Sikh holy book, Granth Sahib.
The Sehajdhari Sikh Federation, a registered political party, had filed a petition before the high court seeking voting rights for such Sikhs in the SGPC polls.
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Tags: beards, bench, central government, elections, government notification, granth sahib, gurus, kant, parliament, petition, polls, punjab and haryana high court, religion, religious tenets, shiromani gurdwara, sikh holy book, sikhs, surya, voting rights