HC issues notice to SGPC
COMMERCIALIZATION OF GURBANI
30 Apr 2008 Times of India Chandigarh - Page 4
Chandigarh: The decision of the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) to enter into an exclusive contract with a television channel for telecasting 'gurbani' from Harmandir Sahib, Amritsar, amounted to its commercialization, which was against the basic Sikh tenets, according to the city-based Gurunanak Dev Universal Brotherhood Society. The group has moved the Punjab & Haryana High Court to set aside the contract between the SGPC and ETC Punjabi channel.
The petition, filed through the society's secretary, advocate Hridey Pal Singh, said the exclusive contract was also against the provisions of the Sikh Gurdwara Act, 1925 and deserved to be set aside, being void ab initio, as a contract against the public policy contravening the provisions of the Contract Act, 1872 could not be sustained. The SGPC charged Rs 2,01,00,000 at the time of signing the contract that grants its absolute rights worldwide for 11 years at Rs 50 lakh per year. In addition the SGPC gets 10% of the gross revenue generated from the advertisements immediate before and after a 'gurbani' programme , the petitioner said, adding "it is not known to which account this money has been deposited which accrued in pursuance of the contract."
The petitioner further submitted "the gurbani, being the fountainhead of Sikh spirituality that motivates Sikhs to cherish higher values of life, is not the property of the SGPC alone". Therefore, he argued, the 'gurbani' could not be "made a tool of earning profit for the SGPC and other telecasting channels against the basic Sikh principles". Apart from this commercial nature of the contract, there is no mention of the income of over Rs 5 crore accrued from ETC channel in the SGPC budgets from 2002-2009, though an
expenditure of Rs 12,80,000 has been shown for these years nor is there any reference to the amount received by way of 10% of gross revenue generated by advertisements shown before and after a 'gurbani' telecast.
A division bench issued notice to SGPC, union home ministry and ETC channel for May 2, when the main writ petition of Tata Sky seeking directions to the Zee groupowned ETC to provide the facility of telecasting 'gurbani' to its DTH subscribers at a reasonable price, is due to come up for further consideration.
The petition, filed through the society's secretary, advocate Hridey Pal Singh, said the exclusive contract was also against the provisions of the Sikh Gurdwara Act, 1925 and deserved to be set aside, being void ab initio, as a contract against the public policy contravening the provisions of the Contract Act, 1872 could not be sustained. The SGPC charged Rs 2,01,00,000 at the time of signing the contract that grants its absolute rights worldwide for 11 years at Rs 50 lakh per year. In addition the SGPC gets 10% of the gross revenue generated from the advertisements immediate before and after a 'gurbani' programme , the petitioner said, adding "it is not known to which account this money has been deposited which accrued in pursuance of the contract."
The petitioner further submitted "the gurbani, being the fountainhead of Sikh spirituality that motivates Sikhs to cherish higher values of life, is not the property of the SGPC alone". Therefore, he argued, the 'gurbani' could not be "made a tool of earning profit for the SGPC and other telecasting channels against the basic Sikh principles". Apart from this commercial nature of the contract, there is no mention of the income of over Rs 5 crore accrued from ETC channel in the SGPC budgets from 2002-2009, though an
expenditure of Rs 12,80,000 has been shown for these years nor is there any reference to the amount received by way of 10% of gross revenue generated by advertisements shown before and after a 'gurbani' telecast.
A division bench issued notice to SGPC, union home ministry and ETC channel for May 2, when the main writ petition of Tata Sky seeking directions to the Zee groupowned ETC to provide the facility of telecasting 'gurbani' to its DTH subscribers at a reasonable price, is due to come up for further consideration.
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