AMRITSAR, Feb. 27 -- The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Thursday "forcibly" retired former Akal Takht jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh from the post of head granthi of the Golden Temple, days after he levelled corruption allegations against the apex gurdwara body and called for its "liberation" from the "clutches" of the Badal family. The decision was announced by SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami following a meeting of the executive committee. On February 18, addressing a press conference in Jalandhar, Giani Raghbir Singh accused the Badal family of "grievously hurting" Sikh religious sentiments for political gains and called for convening a "Sarbat Khalsa" to free the SGPC from their "control". In response, Dhami issued a 72-hour ultimatum asking him to furnish evidence to support his allegations. According to the SGPC, Giani Raghbir Singh failed to provide documentary proof within the stipulated time. Instead, he continued to raise administrative questions publicly, which the committee said violated service rules. After deliberations, the executive committee decided to retire him from service, citing his failure to substantiate the allegations, his statements to the media that allegedly defamed the institution, and what it described as disregard for service discipline. The committee also observed that he had not been regularly performing his morning and evening religious duties at Harmandir Sahib, which it said did not befit the dignity of the head granthi's office. Giani Raghbir Singh had earlier been removed as jathedar of the Akal Takht by the SGPC executive committee in March last year but continued to serve as head granthi of the Golden Temple. During his tenure as the Akal Takht jathedar, Sikh clergy led by him had declared Sukhbir Singh Badal a "tankhaiya" in August 2024 over alleged religious misconduct linked to decisions taken when the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) was in power in Punjab from 2007 to 2017. In December 2024, the Akal Takht issued a "hukamnama" (edict) directing Sukhbir to step down as SAD president, calling for reorganisation of the party and revoking the Fakhr-e-Qaum title conferred on former Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal. Addressing the media, Dhami also rejected what he termed "false narratives" about SGPC properties and finances. He said that between 2020-21 and 2025-26, properties worth about Rs.111 crore were purchased, the gurdwara budget rose from Rs.577 crore to Rs.1,120 crore, and fixed deposits of various gurdwaras increased by Rs.600 crore. He added that SGPC's own fixed deposits grew by Rs.273.6 crore and those of the Dharam Prachar Committee by Rs.121.45 crore during the period. Dhami said Rs.182 crore was allocated for educational institutions and Rs.5 crore was earmarked for the 350th martyrdom anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur, with an additional Rs.7 lakh contributed by devotees. He maintained that SGPC continues to expand religious, educational and healthcare initiatives and claimed that over four lakh people had taken Amrit initiation in the past five years. The SGPC president also questioned the Punjab government's decision to change the special investigation team probing cases related to missing sacred saroops, alleging political motives behind the move....