Akal Takht — the highest temporal body of the Sikhs — excommunicated Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) member Amarjit Singh Chawla, along with suspended additional head granthi Malkit Singh, from the Khalsa Panth on Sunday.

The decision came after an FIR registered on August 21 in which a Bahrain-based woman from Sangrur accused Chawla of raping her at a serai in Anandpur Sahib. The complainant also accused Malkit Singh and an SGPC driver of sending her obscene messages.

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The decree directed the Sikh community to sever all ties with both individuals and barred them for life from holding positions in Sikh institutions.

The FIR was registered under Sections 64 (rape), 127(2) (wrongful confinement), and 351(2) (criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Although registered in August, details surfaced only recently, after which Chawla reportedly fled to Canada. He resigned from his SGPC and SAD posts, calling the allegations a deep-rooted conspiracy.

Referring to the allegations against Malkit Singh, the clergy said, “The SGPC had already suspended him. Levelling such serious charges against a person acquiring such a respectful post hurts the dignity of the entire community. Apart from severing ties with him, complete ban is imposed on him working in the Sikh institutions for entire life”.

The SAD on Sunday accepted the resignation by Chawla party’s senior vice-president.

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Senior SAD leader Daljit Singh Cheema said Chawla has been divested of all the positions in the party.

He termed the turn of events “unfortunate,” adding that the truth will be revealed after investigations into the case. “The allegations are of serious nature and the party took no time to take action against Chawla,” he added.