The Judicial Commission today dismissed by default the petition filed by Sarup Singh Dhesi, who had demanded to declare the February 10 meeting illegal and to revoke its decisions. Beside suspension of Bhai Ranjit Singh, the meeting had also formed a three-member sub-committee to seek explanation from two jathedars, Prof Manjit Singh and Giani Kewal Singh of Takht Kesgarh and Takht Damdama Sahib respectively.

The commission chairman Manmohan Singh Brar announced the ex parte decision since neither the petitioner nor his counsel was present in the court. The dismissed petition was moved by an interim order by Dhesi who had also filed the main petition seeking to disqualify ten executive members being `patit' Sikhs. The main petition is listed for hearing on March 25.

Earlier, the Judicial Commission witnessed loud protests by two counsels of ten SGPC executive members against alleged ``deliberate'' absence of Surjit Singh Sood, counsel of SGPC president Gurcharan Singh Tohra against whom the contempt petition was fixed for hearing today.

Mohinder Singh Romana and Jugraj Singh Pannu, both counsel for the ten executive members, lodged a strong protest against the behaviour of Sood who has been taking undue liberty on flimsy grounds. They said Sood had been seeking adjournments to prolong the proceedings of the case. Demanding an ex parte decision, Romana said: ``If the court would protect falsehood of Tohra's counsel, there will be no end to it.''

When the commission chairman took up the hearing, he expressed inability to proceed further in the absence of Tohra's counsel. He said he had received a telegram from Sood who had demanded adequate protection to appear in the court in wake of alleged attack on him by SGPC general secretary Balbir Singh Pannu on February 26 last in the court compex.

Pannu who was today present in the courtroom, strongly protested against the allegations levelled by Sood and reiterated his allegation that Sood was drunk on February 26 during the court hearing. He said he had made it an excuse to evade appearance in the court.

On February 26 the Judicial Commission had given a last chance to Sood to file a reply for Tohra in the contempt case. Reply of co-respondent, acting president Sukhdev Singh Bhaur, was filed on February 26. The court had directed Sood to appear for arguments in the case. Commission chairman adjourned the contempt petition to March 6 and assured the petitioners that no further adjournment would be given. He said since the case was important, the presence of the petitioner or his counsel was necessary. The petitioners have demanded suspension of Tohra and Bhaur pending their main petition in which they have sought removal of SGPC president and nine other respondents including Bhaur, senior secretary Manjit Singh Calcutta and secretary Surjit Singh.

Tight security arrangements were made outside the judicial commission today.