Missing Birs case: Cloud over SGPC action against Satinder Singh Kohli amid links with SAD(B)

The arrest of chartered accountant Satinder Singh Kohli this week has brought to the forefront the alleged conflict-of-interest charges against the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) in the case of the 328 missing Birs (copies) of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib.

Kohli, a close associate of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Sukhbir Singh Badal, was removed as the SGPC’s internal auditor on the orders of the Sri Akal Takht Sahib in 2020 after his alleged negligence allowed the mishandling of the Birs to go undetected.

While the SGPC has formally moved against Kohli on paper, the credibility of its actions remains questionable given his alleged links with the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal), which has a majority in the SGPC elected House. In fact, two days after Kohli’s arrest, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Balraj Pannu alleged that he was arrested from a room booked in the name of a person connected to a private news channel linked to Badal.

Talking to The Indian Express, SGPC president and SAD(B) leader Harjinder Singh Dhami dismissed allegations of conflict of interest or bias, and rejected suggestions of leniency due to Kohli’s alleged connections with Badal. “Anyone can level claims; everyone has a view,” Dhami said, pointing out that the SGPC was pursuing a case to recover over Rs 7 crore from Kohli’s firm as directed by the Akal Takht Sahib.

Earlier, in a statement on Tuesday, Dhami had claimed that the SGPC was complying with the Akal Takht orders by filing a petition against Kohli at the Sikh Gurdwaras Judicial Commission (SGJC), headed by Satnam Singh Kler.

The SGJC hears cases related to SGPC-run gurdwaras, institutes and employees, as per the provisions of the Sikh Gurdwara Act, 1925. Both the SGPC and the state government play a role in the appointment of its chairman. Satnam was appointed in 2016, when the SAD(B) was in power in the state. His son, Arshdeep, is a core committee member of the SAD(B) headed by Badal.

The Klers’ links to the SGPC and the SAD(B) had been questioned in 2020, when Satnam apologised to Sikhs for appearing as legal counsel for former Punjab Police chief Sumedh Singh Saini in a human rights violation case related to the murder of Balwant Singh Multani, son of IAS officer Darshan Singh Multani.

The SGPC’s case against Kohli has been pending in Satnam’s court since 2021. When contacted, he said he had no firsthand information about its status.

Dhami also defended Kler. “Judges are chosen per procedure; it is by due course of law, in place for years,” he pointed out.

In another development, SGPC member and advocate Bhagwant Singh Sialka represented Kohli in an Amritsar court during hearings on police remand. Sialka is part of an SGPC subcommittee tasked to take action against those whom Akal Takht’s probe committee held responsible in the missing Birs’ case. Last month, on the SGPC’s behalf, Sialka briefed the media on the same issue.

In 2020, Sialka had to seek an apology from the Akal Takht after he honoured police officer Paramraj Singh Umranangal, an accused in the Behbal Kalan police firing case in which two Sikh activists were killed.

On Sialka’s appearance on Kohli’s behalf, Dhami stressed professional boundaries. “Lawyers defend clients…(in his) personal capacity,” he said.