Amendments in Haryana Sikh Gurdwaras (Management) Act, 2014

• 06 Aug 2024

Why in News?

The Haryana Council of Ministers is set to approve an Ordinance to amend the Haryana Sikh Gurdwaras (Management) Act, 2014.

Key Points

• The objective of Haryana Sikh Gurdwaras (Management) Act, 2014 was to provide a legal procedure by which the gurdwaras were brought under the exclusive control of the Sikhs of Haryana for their proper use, administration, control and financial management reforms.
  • This act created a separate juristic entity for the management of the historical gurdwaras in Haryana, gurdwaras with income both over and under ₹20 lakh.
• Proposed Amendments:
  • Judicial Appointments: The proposed amendment includes provisions for appointing a High Court judge as the chairman of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Judicial Commission.
    • If a High Court judge is not appointed, a District Judge or a senior member of the commission will be considered.
  • Revision of Pension / Family Pension: The Haryana Government is also expected to deal with the issue of revision of pension/family pension for retired judicial officers of the Haryana government as per the Second National Judicial Pay Commission (SNJPC).

Second National Judicial Pay Commission

• The Commission was constituted in 2017 pursuant to the order of the Supreme Court in All India Judges Association case, under Article 32 (Constitutional Remedies) of the Constitution.
• It is headed by former Judge of Supreme Court Justice P. Venkatrama Reddi.
• Few of the objectives of the Commission are:
  • To evolve the principles governing the pay structure and emoluments of Judicial Officers belonging to the Subordinate Judiciary all over the country.
  • To examine the present structure of emoluments and conditions of services of Judicial Officers in the States and Union Territories and to make suitable recommendations including post-retirement benefits such as pension, etc.
  • To consider and recommend such interim relief as the Commission considers just and proper to all categories of Judicial Officers.
  • To make recommendations regarding setting up of a permanent mechanism to review the pay and service conditions of members of Subordinate Judiciary periodically by an independent Commission.
• The Supreme Court observed that the Commission may consider, if necessary, sending reports on any of the matters as and when recommendations are finalised.
• The Commission has been empowered to devise its own procedure and formulate the modalities necessary for accomplishing the task

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