Charting a new course: Outspoken Giani Harpreet's journey from jathedar to party chief

Hindustan Times

17 hours ago

Giani Harpreet Singh, 52, who on Monday was elected as the president of the breakaway faction of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), is an outspoken religious leader with good command over panthic matters. Giani Harpreet Singh in Amritsar on Tuesday.
The ex-jathedar's elevation came amidst his long-drawn tussle with the Sukhbir Singh Badal camp over his role in the December 2, 2024, decree, which not only declared Sukhbir Singh Badal tankhayia for the mistakes committed by the party during its government from 2007 to 2017 but also revoked Panth Rattan Fakhr-e-Qaum title awarded to late SAD patriarch Parkash Singh Badal. The decree also called for the reorganisation of the party with a change of leadership.
Belonging to an economically weaker family, Giani Harpreet started his journey as a religious preacher in the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC).
He joined the SGPC as a preacher in 1997 and assumed charge as head granthi of Gurdwara Sri Darbar Sahib, Sri Muktsar Sahib in 1999. Giani Harpreet, who belongs to the Scheduled Caste (SC) section of the Sikh community, was appointed as jathedar of Takht Damdama Sahib on April 17, 2017, by the SGPC. Before being elevated as Takht Damdama Sahib jathedar, Giani Harpreet was a PhD scholar in the religious studies department of the Punjabi University, Patiala. 'My PhD was in the final stage, but after becoming jathedar, I never went back to complete it', he said.
His appointment as acting jathedar of Akal Takht came at a time when the highest temporal seat of the Sikhs was facing a tough time over pardoning of Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim in 2015 by then Takht jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh. Giani Gurbachan, who had to revoke the order after a backlash from the Sikh community, was replaced by Giani Harpreet, who was given a mandate to revive the lost sheen of the Takht.
An outspoken Sikh clergy, he endeared himself to both pro and anti-Badal camps and regained the trust of the Panth thanks to his command of the panthic traditions and speaking skills.
He was hailed by the Sikh segments when he sought a ban on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in 2019 and then expressed solidarity with Kashmiri activists on the issue of Article 370 abrogation. He also favoured Pakistan-based pro-Khalistan leader Gopal Singh Chawla during his speech at Nankana Sahib and later his speech on the SGPC's 100th foundation day on November 17, 2020, where he made a political pitch for the SAD with its top leaders present on the occasion, raised the hackles of the anti-Badal Sikh section.
His failure to toe the Akali line, however, saw his relations with SAD turning sour. SAD leadership was irked over his presence at the wedding ceremony of the then CM Charanjit Singh Channi's son in 2021, and later in 2023, he also attended the engagement of Rajya Sabha Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) member Raghav Chadha with Bollywood actor Parineeti Chopra at Kapurthala House in New Delhi. The May 2023 appearance at Kapurthala House in Delhi didn't go down well with SAD, which also controls SGPC and Giani Harpreet was replaced by Giani Raghbir Singh.
However, he retained the post of Takht Damdama Sahib jathedar.
His final showdown with the SAD leadership came on December 2, 2024, when Giani Harpreet played a key role in framing the edict.
On December 19 last year, the SAD-controlled SGPC suspended the services of Giani Harpreet Singh and constituted a panel to probe the charges levelled by a person against him. The probe was not only questioned by the Sikh segments but was termed as 'breach of jurisdiction of Akal Takht' by its then jathedar, Giani Raghbir Singh.
Nearly nine weeks after the pronouncement of the December 2 decree, Giani Harpreet Singh was sacked as Takht Damdama Sahib jathedar by the SGPC. Since then, he has been actively participating in the activities of the breakaway faction led by the Takht panel.