Maharashtra restores superseded Nanded Gurdwara Board after high court contempt warning
The restoration follows a contempt petition filed in February over the state government’s failure to implement the Aurangabad bench’s October 6, 2025, order.
PTC News Desk: The Maharashtra govt has finally restored the management board of the Takht Sachkhand Sri Hazur Abchalnagar Sahib Gurdwara in Nanded, nearly a year after the court ordered it to do so.
The Maharashtra government’s decision to restore the earlier Gurdwara Board is significant because it gives Sikh representatives another opportunity to manage the institution. According to available reports, the Board constituted on March 8, 2019, has been restored, while the notification issued on June 29, 2022, to dissolve it has been withdrawn.
The Maharashtra government has restored the elected board responsible for managing Takht Sachkhand Sri Hazur Abchalnagar Sahib in Nanded, following a Bombay High Court order.
The development was confirmed on Wednesday when Chief Government Pleader Amarjeet Singh Girase informed a division bench that the state’s Revenue and Forest departments had issued a notification restoring the board. The notification was also published in the Maharashtra government’s official gazette. After taking the submission on record, the court disposed of the matter.
The restoration follows a contempt petition filed in February over the state government’s failure to implement the Aurangabad bench’s October 6, 2025, order. The court had quashed the government’s June 29, 2022, notification that dissolved the elected board and appointed an administrator in its place.
The dispute began in June 2022, when the then Maha Vikas Aghadi government dissolved the board under Section 53 of the Nanded Sikh Gurdwara Sachkhand Sri Hazur Abchalnagar Sahib Act, 1956. The government had alleged that the board misused its powers and failed to perform its legal duties. An administrator was subsequently appointed, and the arrangement continued through repeated extensions.
The dissolved board challenged the government’s decision in the High Court. On October 6, 2025, the Aurangabad bench set aside the decision and directed the state government to restore the board to the position it held before June 29, 2022.
Following the court’s order, the government has now reinstated the board originally constituted on March 8, 2019, under the 1956 Act. A notification signed by Deputy Secretary Bhagwan Sawant confirms that the board has been restored to its original position.
The role and service of Sardar Gurvinder Singh Bawa are also important in this development. He was serving as vice-chairman of the Gurdwara Board. Following the death of Board chairman Sardar Bhupinder Singh Minhas, the full responsibility for managing the institution has fallen on Sardar Gurvinder Singh Bawa.
This gives him an opportunity to improve the management of Takht Sahib, bring the expectations of the Sangat to the attention of the Board and strengthen the administrative system in accordance with Sikh traditions.
He is supported by a team of experienced members, including General Secretary Ravinder Singh Bungai. Bawa is himself known for his dedication to service, and the Sangat has high expectations of him and the team.