The Centres move to drop plans to amend the Anand Karaj (Marriage) Act of 1909 for making it a separate law has drawn flak from various Sikh bodies,with the All India Sikh Students Federation (AISSF) planning to challenge it via a constitutional petition in the Supreme Court. Dal Khalsa,Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) and American Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (ASGPC) said on Tuesday that the move was anti-Sikhs. Dal Khalsa head H S Dhami and political secretary Kanwar Pal Singh said it was constitutional discrimination against the Sikhs and described it as cultural terrorism. The AISSF said its petition will request the Supreme Court to order the Centre to give equal rights to Sikhs under Article 14 and 15 of the Constitution by passing Anand Marriage Act. AISSF announced that it will also launch Proud to be Sikh Campaign to build public movement in support of Anand Marriage Act and Sikhs Right to Self Determination. Since SGPC,DSGMC and SAD (Badal) have failed to enact a separate marriage Act for the Sikhs and have betrayed the faith of the community,AISSF,which is contesting the SGPC elections independently,will take this issue to the Sikh community and will expose the ineffectiveness of the leadership of these bodies,AISSF president Karnail Singh Peermohammad said. DSGMC head Paramjit Singh Sarna said they would appeal to the Centre to review its decision and Sikhs must have a separate law to register marriage like the Hindus and Muslims in the country. ASGPC chief Pritpal Singh said even Pakistan,where the community was in a minority,has passed the Anand Karaj Act. Refusing to buy the argument of Law Minister Salman Khurshid that the implementation of Anand Marriage Act violates Article 44 of the Constitution which aims at bringing the Uniform Civil Code,the Sikh bodies said when Muslims and Christians have their own personal laws,why cant Sikhs cant have it too.
