Supreme Court ordered status quo on the management of Haryana gurudwaras

The Supreme Court on 7 August 2014 directed the Haryana government to maintain status quo on the control of 50-odd gurudwaras in the state. These gurudwaras are currently under the administration of the Amritsar-based Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC).

The SC bench comprised of Chief Justice RM Lodha, Justices Madan B Lokur and Justice Kurian Joseph. The petition was filed by the members of the Kurukshetra SGPC challenging the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara (Management) Act, 2014 that was enacted in July 2014 to create Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC) to manage the shrines in the state.

It also directed the SGPC and HSGMC to open a separate bank account for Haryana gurdwaras, and deposit offerings by devotees and other money there.
There are 52 gurudwaras in Haryana and eight of them are historic. SGPC has been controlling gurudwaras in Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh since the enactment of the Sikh Gurdwara Act in 1925.