Sikhs not minority, Punjab govt not happy

SINGH SONG: SGPC President Avtar Singh Makkar says the body will move a higher court.

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Keywords: punjab, sikhs

Chandigarh: Monday's High Court judgement that Sikhs are not a minority in Punjab has left a trail of red faces, with Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal government and apex Sikh religious body SGPC caught unawares.

For SGPC, it means the Sikh community loses out on 50 per cent reservation in around 30 educational institutions run by them.

Both the state government and the SGPC plan to challenge the decision in the Supreme Court.

"We will challenge the decision in the Supreme Court. Rules as to what constitutes a minority will have to redefined. It should be at a state level or on a national level,” said media advisor to Punjab CM, HS Bains.

Agreed SGPC President Avtar Singh Makkar, “We have to study the decision and then we will move the higher court. This is a serious matter.”

The Punjab and Haryana High Court's ruling on Monday followed a petition filed by medical college aspirant Sahil Mittal, whose application was rejected at an SGPC-run college.

“Sikhs are not a minority in Punjab and so they cannot avail of minority benefits,” said lawyer of the petitioner, Binder Singh.

The Punjab government and the SGPC want to know what decides the minority status - whether the unit to be considered is the state or will it be at a national level.