Two Months After Akal Takht Declared Him Guilty Of Religious Misconduct, Sukhbir Singh Badal Resigns As Shiromani Akali Dal President

Sukhbir Singh Badal, who had been declared 'tankhaiya' (guilty of religious misconduct by the Akal Takht, has resigned from his position as Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president, according to senior party leader Daljit Singh Cheema.

Badal's resignation paves the way for the election of the new party chief.

"The SAD President Sukhbir Singh Badal submitted his resignation to the working Committee of the party today to pave the way for the election of a new President. He thanked all the party leaders & workers for expressing confidence in his leadership and extending wholehearted support & cooperation throughout the tenure," Cheema said in a post on X on Saturday (16 November).

The resignation comes days after Badal's request to the Akal Takht Jathedar to pronounce his punishment for religious misconduct charges, saying more than two months have passed since he was declared 'tankhaiya' (guilty of religious misconduct).

Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh had on 30 August declared Badal 'tankhaiya' for "mistakes" committed by the SAD and its government from 2007 to 2017.

The jathedar is yet to pronounce 'tankhah' (religious punishment) for Badal.

Following the lack of interim relief for Badal from the Akal Takht, the SAD declared on 24 October that it would not contest the by-polls.

Earlier, on 1 July, rebel SAD leaders, including former MP Prem Singh Chandumajra and ex-Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) chief Bibi Jagir Kaur, appeared before the Akal Takht and sought forgiveness for the "mistakes" committed by the party's government between 2007 and 2017.

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