PM led Appointments Committee of Cabinet to choose next chief commissioner of Gurdwara

NEW DELHI: The Centre has introduced new rules to stipulate that the next chief commissioner of Gurdwara elections, slated for September 2016, will be chosen by the Appointments Committee of Cabinet ( ACC) headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The rules notified by the home ministry came into effect on October 10.

Although the Centre has so far chosen the chief commissioner of the Gurdwara elections – better known as the SGPC elections – in Punjab, Haryana and Union Territory of Chandigarh, there were no rules to stipulate the process of selection.

As per the new Chief Commissioner Gurdwara Elections Appointment Rules 2014 notified by the home ministry, the final selection will now be done by the ACC which comprises of Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh. The rules also stipulate that the registrar of the Punjab and Haryana High Court will send a panel of at least three judges not exceeding 70 years of age who have retired from the court.

On receiving this panel of names, a search-cum-selection panel comprising of the Union home secretary, law secretary and secretary (expenditure) will then recommend suitable names to the ACC in order of preference for final selection, the new rules say. The term of the appointee will be for two years, extendable by one year on ACC’s approval, and pay and allowances will be on a par with a secretary to government.

The next Gurdwara elections, termed a mini-parliament of Sikhs, are slated for September 2016.