Amritsar: The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has suspended the manager of Gurdwara Sri Amb Sahib in Mohali and ordered legal action against him after an alleged fraudulent sale of gurdwara land came to light.
SGPC president Advocate Harjinder Singh Dhami said the land, measuring 1 bigha, 6 biswas and 10 biswasis, located in village Sainimajra (Premgarh) in Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar district, was illegally sold without any official approval. He said the sale amounted to a serious breach of trust involving gurdwara property.
Addressing a press conference at the SGPC’s Chandigarh sub-office, Dhami said no SGPC official or gurdwara manager has the authority to independently sell any property belonging to a gurdwara. He clarified that any sale or purchase of gurdwara land can only be carried out after approval from the SGPC’s executive committee and through the designated property sub-committee, following established rules.
Dhami said a preliminary inquiry revealed that the suspended manager, Rajinder Singh, sold the land to four buyers without permission and executed separate sale deeds on December 2, 2025. He said the registration was carried out fraudulently, and the matter came to light after it was flagged by the SGPC office.
According to Dhami, the manager admitted to preparing a forged authorization letter on the SGPC’s official letterhead to falsely project that he had approval to sell the land. He said Rajinder Singh received four cheques worth ₹1.32 crore from the buyers and deposited the amount into his personal bank account.
Dhami further said preliminary findings indicate that the manager may have collected additional amounts running into crores of rupees, details of which were not disclosed to the inquiry team. He said further investigation is underway to ascertain the full financial trail.
The SGPC president said there was no proposal, case, or documentation pending with the SGPC regarding the sale of the said land. He asserted that strict action would be taken against anyone found guilty of misusing gurdwara assets and that no one involved in betraying the trust of Sikh institutions would be spared.
Dhami said a five-member committee has been constituted to conduct a detailed departmental inquiry. The committee includes SGPC executive member Bibi Harjinder Kaur, chief secretary Kulwant Singh Mannan, and SGPC members Charanjit Singh Kalewal, Surjit Singh Bhittewad, and Paramjit Singh Lakhewala.
He said instructions have also been issued to initiate the process of cancelling the land registrations. Dhami said the illegal act not only damaged the reputation of the institution but also caused significant financial loss to the gurdwara.
Reiterating the SGPC’s policy, Dhami said all transactions related to gurdwara properties are conducted strictly as per laid-down procedures, including recommendations by the property sub-committee, scrutiny by the revenue department, and final approval by the executive committee, followed by sale through an open bidding process under supervision.
He warned all SGPC officials and employees to discharge their duties with honesty and integrity, stating that any involvement in corruption or misuse of authority would invite strict departmental and legal action.
Several SGPC office bearers and members were present during the press conference.
