AMRITSAR, Oct. 17 -- The Sikh clergy on Friday held the ruling Aam Aadmi Party MLA Manwinder Singh Giaspura 'tankhaiya' (guilty of religious misconduct) for levelling controversial caste-bias allegations against Sikh institutions, even as 12 legislators of the ruling party appeared before the highest temporal seat of the Sikhs to submit a written apology.

The dispute follows an October 12 incident when Giaspura, a legislator from Payal constituency in Ludhiana district, was stopped from entering the Akal Takht secretariat while accompanying a party delegation.

Led by Amritsar South MLA and Chief Khalsa Diwan president Inderbir Singh Nijjar, the delegation had arrived to submit a memorandum regarding police entry into Gurdwara Bangla Sah...