Vidhi Codex

The Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925

The Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925

General1925170 of 183 sections available

This Act provides for the better management of Sikh gurdwaras and their property. Gurdwaras can be declared Sikh Gurdwaras through a process of lists and petitions, with claims to property and compensation for hereditary office-holders decided by a tribunal. Management of these gurdwaras is placed with elected Sikh bodies, headed by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee.

Start reading →Read full ActSections
  1. 1. Short title, extent and commencement
  2. 2. Definitions
  3. 3. List of property of scheduled gurdwara to be forwarded to the State Government; declaration of scheduled gurdwara and
  4. 4. Effect of omission to forward a list under section 3
  5. 5. Petitions of claim to property included in a consolidated list; signing and verification of petitions under sub-section
  6. 6. Claim for compensation by hereditary office-holder of a Notified Sikh Gurdwara or his presumptive successor; signing and verification of petition under sub-section (1)
  7. 7. Petition to have a gurdwara declared a Sikh Gurdwara; list of property claimed for the gurdwara and of persons in
  8. 8. Petition to have it declared that a place asserted to be a Sikh Gurdwara is not such a gurdwara
  9. 9. Effect of omission to present a petition under section 8; effect of publication of a notification under sub-section (1)
  10. 10. Petition of claim to property included in a list published under sub-section (3) of section 7; signing and verification
  11. 11. Claim for compensation by hereditary office-holder of a gurdwara notified under section 7 or his presumptive successor; signing and verification of petitions under sub-section (1)
  12. 12. Constitution and procedure of a tribunal for the purposes of the Act
  13. 13. Procedure on difference of opinion
  14. 14. Tribunal to dispose of petitions under sections 5, 6, 8, 10 and 11
  15. 15. Power of tribunal to join parties and award costs
  16. 16. Issue as to whether a gurdwara is a Sikh Gurdwara to be decided first and how issue is to be decided
  17. 17. Notification of Sikh Gurdwara on finding of tribunal
  18. 18. Presumption in favour of a Notified Sikh Gurdwara on proof of certain facts when a claim to property is made by an office-holder
  19. 19. Adjudication by tribunal upon agreements made between office-holder and persons acting on behalf of a Sikh Gurdwara
  20. 20. Claim for compensation by a hereditary office-holder who has resigned or been dismissed
  21. 22. Matters for consideration in awarding compensation
  22. 25A. Power of tribunal to pass decree for possession in favour of the committees of Gurdwara
  23. 26. Entry of rights of gurdwara in revenue records
  24. 30. Decisions by courts on certain claims in certain circumstances
  25. 31. Courts not to continue certain proceedings pending decision as to whether a place is or is not a Sikh Gurdwara
  26. 32. Transfer of suits pending in courts
  27. 33. Disputes relating to rights of office-holder after a year from commencement of Act
  28. 34. Appeal against order of a tribunal
  29. 35. Court-fees
  30. 36. No court to take cognizance of manner in which the State Government or tribunal exercises its powers under the Act
  31. 37. Courts not to pass an order or grant or execute a decree inconsistent with decision of a tribunal
  32. 38. Recourse to ordinary courts in cases where action has not been taken under Part I
  33. 39. Suits for relief claimable by application under this part barred
  34. 40. Board, Committees and Commission to be constituted for the purposes of this Act
  35. 41. Control of Sikh Gurdwaras
  36. 42. Name of Board
  37. 43A. Constitution of New Board
  38. 47. Date of Board elections
  39. 50. Right to vote
  40. 51. Term of membership
  41. 52. Effect of subsequent disability to serve as member of Board
  42. 53. Vacancy in Board, how to be filled
  43. 54. First meeting of the Board
  44. 55. Annual general meeting
  45. 56. Notice of meeting
  46. 57. Power of member to call meeting
  47. 58. Office of Board
  48. 59. Quorum of Board in general meeting
  49. 60. Chairman at meetings of the Board
  50. 61. Decision of questions before Board
  51. 62. Office-bearers and executive committee of Board
  52. 63. Annual election of executive committee
  53. 64. Power of executive committee of Board
  54. 65. Vacancy in executive committee, how to be filled
  55. 66. Member of a committee of management not to be member of executive committee of Board
  56. 67. Resignation of member of executive committee or Board
  57. 68. Remuneration of members of executive committee
  58. 69. Servants of the Board; their appointment and punishment
  59. 70. The Judicial Commission
  60. 71. Appointment of members of the Commission
  61. 72. Member of the Board or of a committee to resign if appointed a member of Commission
  62. 73. Remuneration of members of the Commission
  63. 74. Officers and servants of the Commission
  64. 75. Expenses to be shared by Government and Board
  65. 76. Jurisdiction and procedure of Commission
  66. 77. Court and office of Commission
  67. 78. Vacancy in Commission
  68. 79. Removal of member of Commission
  69. 80. Election of President of Commission
  70. 81. Settlement of difference of opinion in Commission
  71. 82. Costs in proceedings may be made payable out of income of Sikh Gurdwara
  72. 83. Dissolution of Commission
  73. 84. Decision as to whether a person is or is not a patit
  74. 85. Constitution of committees of management of certain gurdwaras
  75. 86. Committees of gurdwaras other than those specified in section 85
  76. 86A. [Omitted]
  77. 87. Constitution of committees not specially provided for
  78. 88. Constitution of committees; publication of constitution and effect thereof
  79. 89. Election of members
  80. 90. Qualification for election to a committee
  81. 91. Qualification for nomination to a committee
  82. 92. Qualifications of electors
  83. 93. Right to vote
  84. 94. Period of continuance of committees
  85. 94A. Incorporation of committees
  86. 95. Effect of subsequent disability to serve as member of a committee
  87. 96. Vacancies in committees other than those specified in section 85
  88. 97. [Omitted]
  89. 98. Committees to meet at least three times a year
  90. 99. Notice of meetings
  91. 100. Quorum of committee
  92. 101. Presidents and Vice-Presidents of committees
  93. 102. Decisions of questions before committees
  94. 103. Minutes to be recorded
  95. 104. Resignation of president and members of committee
  96. 104A. Servants of the Committee, their appointment and punishment
  97. 105. Exclusion of Board acting as committee from operation of this chapter
  98. 106. Objects on which the funds of gurdwaras may be spent
  99. 106A. Utilization of surplus income
  100. 107. Annual contribution to Board
  101. 108A. Research fund
  102. 108B. Religious Fund
  103. 108C. Research and religious fund to be governed by the Act
  104. 110. Funds held in trust by the Board for specified purposes
  105. 111. General Trust Fund
  106. 112. Separate funds to be maintained for each trust
  107. 113. Trust funds to be deposited in bank
  108. 114. Board to maintain accounts of all trust funds and of General Board Fund
  109. 115. Audit of accounts
  110. 116. Auditor's report
  111. 117. Board to consider auditor's report
  112. 118. Payment of expenses of audit
  113. 119. Budget of Board
  114. 120. Accounts to be maintained by committees
  115. 121. Audit of committee's accounts
  116. 122. Report of auditor
  117. 123. Budget of committees
  118. 124. Recovery of contributions
  119. 125. Powers and duties of the Board generally
  120. 126. [Omitted]
  121. 127. Board may hold and administer trusts
  122. 127A. Collection of dues payable to notified Sikh Gurdwaras left in Pakistan
  123. 127B. Mode of spending money belonging to notified Sikh Gurdwaras left in Pakistan
  124. 128. Control by Board over executive committee
  125. 129. What matters may be discussed by Board in general meeting
  126. 130. Settling of schemes of administration
  127. 131. Exclusion of Board, acting as a committee from operation of section 130
  128. 132. Power of Board to make bye-laws
  129. 133. General powers of committees
  130. 134. Powers of committees to dismiss office-holders
  131. 135. Procedure when hereditary office-holder or minister is dismissed
  132. 136. Appointment of minister and office-holders
  133. 137. Registers to be kept for gurdwaras
  134. 138. Alienation of immovable trust property
  135. 139. Power of committee to make regulations
  136. 140. Power of committee to make regulations for offering at Sikh Gurdwara
  137. 141. Salaries of office-holders to be their property
  138. 142. Right of interested persons to complain to Commission in respect of misfeasance, etc
  139. 143. Notice of application to be given
  140. 144. Government not to interfere with gurdwara, except as provided by this Act or any other Act
  141. 144A. Power to denotify or exempt non-historical gurdwaras
  142. 145. Act of Board or Committee not to be invalidated by informality
  143. 146. Power of State Government to make rules
  144. 147. Power of the State Government to invest with judicial powers officers appointed to enquire into conduct of elections
  145. 148. Language of the Commission
  146. 148A. Repeal
  147. 148B. Additional members of the Board constituted under section 43 and Executive Committee constituted under section 62
  148. 148C. Provisions relating to the existing local committees functioning under the Interim Gurdwara Board, Patiala
  149. 148D. Provisions as to employees of the Interim Gurdwara Board, Patiala, and local committees functioning under it
  150. 148E. Special provisions regarding the assets and liabilities of Interim Gurdwara Board, Patiala
  151. 148F. Power to remove difficulties
  152. 149. Prohibition of public meetings on the Election day
  153. 150. Disturbances at election meetings
  154. 151. Maintenance of secrecy of voting
  155. 152. Officer, etc., at elections not to act for candidates or to influence voting
  156. 153. Prohibition of canvassing in or near polling stations
  157. 154. Penalty for disorderly conduct in or near polling stations
  158. 155. Penalty for misconduct at the polling station
  159. 156. Penalty for illegal hiring or procuring of conveyances at elections
  160. 157. Breaches of official duty in connection with elections
  161. 158. Removal of ballot-papers from polling station to be an offence
  162. 159. Other offences and penalties therefor
  163. 160. Prosecution regarding certain offences
  164. 161. Amendment of Act V of 1898
  165. 180. SCHEDULE I Sikh Gurdwaras
  166. 181. SCHEDULE II Institutions not subject to petition under section 7
  167. 183. SCHEDULE IV [Omitted]
  168. I. Sikh Gurdwaras
  169. II. Institutions not subject to petition under section 7
  170. IV. [Omitted]

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