Inquiry Report Deals Setback to CGPC’s Challenge Against Local Committee
Key Points:
- Joint inquiry finds Sakchi Gurdwara committee is an independently registered body
- Registration department rejects bid to challenge its legal validity
- Committee president and lawyer call the report a win for the Sikh community
JAMSHEDPUR – A joint departmental inquiry has concluded that the Sakchi Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee is a separate and independently registered religious institution, dealing a setback to the Central Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee’s attempt to have its registration cancelled.
The report, prepared following a complaint against the Sakchi committee, was made public at a press conference on Wednesday by committee president Nishan Singh and Jamshedpur and Jharkhand High Court advocate K.M. Singh.
However, the inquiry, conducted jointly by the inspector of registration offices for the Kolhan division and the assistant inspector general of registration, found that the committee’s constitution and bylaws remain legally valid. Investigators said no other organisation could challenge the committee’s legal standing on the basis of its own internal rules.
The complaint, filed by the CGPC, had alleged that the Sakchi Gurdwara management got itself registered and amended its bylaws in 2015-16 without taking the central body into confidence. Meanwhile, the joint inquiry committee found that any amended bylaws not uploaded to the department’s portal through due process could not be treated as part of an institution’s valid rules, a finding that undercut the core basis of the complaint.
“Every allegation raised in the complaint was examined in detail, and the conclusions fully affirm the independent constitutional standing of the Sakchi Gurdwara,” K.M. Singh said, citing the report’s findings.
He added that the report made clear that the Sakchi committee’s separate registration and constitution carried full legal validity, and that any party disputing rights over the institution should approach a court rather than the registration department. On the other hand, Nishan Singh described the outcome as a victory for the entire Sikh community, saying truth may be troubled but is never defeated.
Besides addressing the registration dispute, the report noted that questions relating to assets and institutional control fell outside the registration department’s jurisdiction and should instead be resolved through a competent civil court. It further stated that if the CGPC wished to enforce rules or amendments passed by its earlier general board, it would need to follow the statutory process before the registration department rather than relying on unilateral claims.
In addition, the inquiry record shows that notices were issued to both parties on the directions of the deputy inspector general of registration, with a hearing held on March 25, 2026, at which both sides presented written and oral evidence. Rules said to have been passed by a 2003 general board of the complainant were also examined in detail before the committee reached its final conclusions.
The Sakchi Gurdwara committee, registered under number 33/2015-16, has functioned as a religious institution in the city’s Sakchi locality, a commercial and residential hub that is also home to other community landmarks such as the Sakchi Gurudwara where student workshops have previously been held. The area also houses institutions including the Karim City College and civic offices under the JNAC administrative jurisdiction.
Moreover, disputes involving Sikh religious institutions in the city are not new, with earlier civic matters in Jamshedpur also drawing attention from local bodies such as the Inner Wheel Club and other community organisations active in the area.
