New Delhi, Sep 2 (ANI): Union Home Minister P. Chidamabaram on Friday said the government has not withdrawn a 2003 notification preventing Sehajdhari or non-baptised Sikhs from participating in elections to the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC).
In a statement in Parliament over the court cases relating to elections to the SGPC, Chidambaram said: "Yesterday evening, Ministry of Home Affairs received a report that Harbhagwan Singh, Senior Advocate, appeared in the High Court of Punjab and Haryana in the cases relating to the elections to the SGPC. He appears to have made the claim that he was representing the Government of India and he stated that the notification dated October 8, 2003 was being withdrawn by the Government of India. On his statement, the High Court is reported to have passed certain orders.
"On a suggestion that a suitable senior counsel may be engaged to appear in the matter, Ministry of Law and Justice had written a letter dated November1, 2011 approving the engagement of Harbhagwan Singh in two of the three cases before the High Court," he said.
"A copy of the order has not yet been received in the Ministry of Home Affairs. Neither the Ministry of Law nor the Ministry of Home Affairs had given a vakalatnama to Harbhagwan Singh. No one from the Government had briefed him. In particular, he had no authority to make the statement that the notification dated October 8, 2003 would be withdrawn," he added.
He further said the Government also wishes to make it clear that there is no proposal to rescind or withdraw the notification dated October 8, 2003."
"Government will bring the above facts to the notice of the High Court today," he added. (ANI)
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