​Beyond faith: On the Akal Takht and the Akali Dal Politics & News

The Akal Takht, the highest Sikh temporal seat, has enforced punishment for Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and former Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, and colleagues for the alleged mistakes they committed when they were in power from 2007 to 2017. The punishment has been both religious and political in nature, which is a disturbing collapse of the essential wall between the two spheres. Mr. Badal survived an assassination attempt while performing penance at the Golden Temple, the central place of worship for Sikhs, on December 4. The Akal Takht’s punishments for religious misconduct are the accepted norm for practising Sikhs and, as such, are within the realm of faith and custom. However, Mr. Badal’s actions that drew the scrutiny of the Akal Takht were not strictly about his faith, and at the very least, overlapped with his political role as Deputy Chief Minister and beyond. The religious authority also pushed for his ouster as SAD president, and issued directions to the party to set up a committee to initiate a membership drive and hold elections for office-bearers within six months. The SAD is a registered political party regulated by the law of the country and the Election Commission of India. That it bends to religious writs is disconcerting for the polity.

India’s legal framework and constitutional principles emphasise secularism, which is reflected in how political parties are regulated. The direct intervention of any religious body in political decisions and affairs of political parties could send the wrong signals on adherence to the Constitution’s secular principles. The SAD has been going through a challenging phase following its poor electoral run in the 2022 Assembly and 2024 general elections. It has lost its traditional support base and needs to reimagine its politics to stay relevant in Punjab. The SAD’s strategy to revive its fortunes is a return to its pre-1996 ‘panthic’ (Sikh) agenda. But this is a tricky route. There are disturbing signs of a potential revival of extremism among Sikhs, which will do no good to the community or the country. There are global actors that want to reignite the embers of the long-dead ‘Khalistan’ movement. The assassination bid on Mr. Badal yet again revealed the existence of radical elements willing to resort to violence. The SAD has had a moderating effect on the Sikh community, offering its members a platform for their religious and secular concerns. An effective takeover of the party by the Akal Takht is harmful for both, and the larger polity.