HC notice to SGPC to know whereabouts of articles received from Army

Chandigarh: The Punjab and Haryana high court on Thursday issued notice to the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) on a plea seeking directions to disclose the whereabout of the manuscripts, religious books, and other articles that were seized during the Operation Blue Star and later handed over to the committee by the Indian Army and CBI.
SGPC has been told to file response on the issue by December 11. These articles were seized by the Army during the operation in 1984 from the Sikh Reference Library, Toshakhana, the Central Sikh Museum and the Guru Ramdas Library of the Golden Temple complex.
Division bench comprising Chief Justice Ravi Shankar Jha and Justice Rajiv Sharma has issued the notice after hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Satinder Singh, a resident of Ludhiana. According to the petitioner, being a devout Sikh, he has deep sentimental attachment with the articles/artefacts/manuscripts connected with the Sikh history and was concerned regarding the misappropriation of these items manuscripts, religious books and other articles handed over to the SGPC by the Indian Army, CBI and government and duly received by SGPC.
Petitioner has submitted that the MHA, in a petition filed on similar issue in 2004, had informed that all the valuables, artefacts and manuscripts of historical significance recovered from the Golden Temple Complex were returned to the SGPC and officials of the Punjab government. As per the information, 52 historical and 43 non-historical items were handed over to SGPC and state authorities.
“Historical items included paintings of the Central Sikh Museum, handed over to Mohan Singh, curator (Punjab Government Museum) on September 13, 1984. Non-historical items were given to Giani Bhagwan Singh, head granthi (priest) of Akal Takht. On June13, 1984, Kailash Chand Sharma, treasury officer , Amritsar was gold and gold ornaments, silver and silver ornaments, precious and semi-precious stones and pearls. Currency notes with face value of Rs 30,93,936, coins, FDRs. On July 5, 1985, 98 paintings, 14 photographs, four manuscripts recovered from the Central Sikh Museum were handed over to Mohan Singh, department of cultural affairs. Whereabouts of which are not known even after lapse of several years,” petitioner has mentioned in his plea.
In support of his claims the petitioner has attached a large number of letters and communications regarding handing over of these items to SGPC and the state authorities.
Petitioner has sought directions to prepare lists of the artefacts, manuscripts, and literature, which were removed by the Army on June 7, 1984, and those which were returned to SGPC. It has also been prayed to ensure that these manuscripts, religious books, and other articles are restored to the libraries, the Central Sikh Museum and Toshakhana in the Golden Temple Complex and made available to general public for Darshan, reading and research purposes.