By-Laws

SARBAT KHALSA BY-LAWS

1. Definition:

Sarbat Khalsa Jathebandi is an autonomous organization embodying the Panch-Pradhani (Collective Leadership of Chosen Ones) concept in the light of Gurmat, without being tied to any particular country or place, representing Sikhs all over the world with complete transparency.

2. Mission:

Always remain active in imbibing and establishing all aspects of life as Gurmat bestows. It will work to find global solutions to the problems Sikhs face in all fields. It will always remain dedicated to the supremacy of Sri Guru Granth Sahib, the chardikala (spiritual optimism, resilience, and ever-rising spirit) of Sikhs, and the well-being of all.

3. Process Flow for the Organization Structure:

The following is the step-by-step process for the continuity of Sarbat Khalsa Jathebandi as an organization:

3.1: Various Sikh Organizations from all over the world will apply to get registered with Sarbat Khalsa Jathebandi through the online form.

3.2: Panj Piyaare of the Panj Pradhani Council, based on eligibility criteria (Ref: Article 6), will approve or reject the application for registration. (Note: To begin the Sarbat Khalsa Jathebandi process, the acting Panj Piyaare of the acting Panj Pradhani Council were appointed by the Think Tank team of Sarbat Khalsa.)

3.3: Nominations for the representatives of Sarbat Khalsa Panchayat can be made in the following two ways:

i: Approved Sikh Organizations would send nominations for their representatives for the Sarbat Khalsa Panchayat. One organization can send up to two nominations. Nominations must possess any one of the expertise mentioned in 3.3.iii.

ii: For individuals not nominated by any Sikh Organization but who have contributed immensely to the Sikh Society in any of the expertise defined in 3.3.iii, anyone from the Sikh sangat can send a written request through e-mail to be recommended for Sarbat Khalsa Panchayat nomination. If the Panj Piyaare of the Panj Pradhani Council agrees to the individual's name, his/her nomination will be accepted.

iii: List of expertise is as follows:

3.4: Panj Piyaare of the Panj Pradhani Council will approve or reject the nominations sent by Sikh Organizations based on eligibility criteria (Ref: Article 7).

3.5: Sarbat Khalsa Panchayat representatives can be added without any restriction on total numbers and without any tenure limit.

3.6: Among the representatives of Sarbat Khalsa Panchayat, there will be Twenty-Five Gursikh Core Committee members. The role of Gursikh Core Committee members is to select Panj Piyaare for the Panj Pradhani Council. The Gursikh Core Committee will be selected as per the following process:

i: The names for the Gursikh Core Committee will be selected unanimously by the serving Panj Pradhani Council.

ii: Serving Panj Pradhani Council will select twenty-five names six months before the selection of Panj Piyaare for Panj Pradhani Council. This means that Gursikh Core Committee members will be selected every 2.5 years.

iii. The term of Gursikh Core Committee members will be 5yrs, and their names will be replaced in a batch of 10 & 15 members after every two and half years. Having 10 or 15 members from the previous term's batch will provide continuity to the ongoing work and deliberations. (To start the process, the replacement names will be at the discretion of the Panj Pradhani Council. So, the term of the first batch of Gursikh Core Committee members, whose names would get replaced, will be two and a half years.)

iv: The names of the Gursikh Core Committee members of the previously completed term can be repeated, only after a minimum gap of two and a half years. Panj Piyaares of the previously completed terms can also be among the Gursikh Core Committee.

v: Gursikh Core Committee will consist of eight members from Punjab, five from the rest of India, and twelve from Outside India.

3.7: The Gursikh Core Committee members, excluding themselves, will agree on the names for the Panj Piyaare of Panj Pradhani Council from among the Sarbat Khalsa Panchayat representatives. The following process will be followed for selection:

i. One of the Gursikh Core Committee members, unanimously agreed among twenty-five members, will coordinate to organize meetings. The Panj Pradhani Council can facilitate a discussion to finalize the coordinator's name, if required.

ii. In the meetings, the members will share potential names for Panj Pardhani Council from the required regions and their Sikhi contributions. Serving Panj Piyaare will not participate in the meetings. However, the serving Panj Pradhani Council may propose names for the Panj Piyaares.

iii. Deliberations should take place on the names suggested by committee members. It is not mandatory that all twenty-five members are aware of the suggested names. It is the responsibility of twenty-five members to deliberate on the names. If any or few members do not attend meetings or participate in the discussion, other members may make unanimous decisions without the non-participating members.

3.8: For the Panj Pradhani Council, two among these will be from Punjab, one from the Rest of India, and two from Outside India (Preferably, but not mandatory, one from the North American countries (Canada & USA), and one from the Rest of the world). Preference should be given to candidates who have already contributed and demonstrated leadership for Sarbat Khalsa Jathebandi projects. Panj Piyaare must have partaken khande-baate di pahul. The tenure for Panj Piyaare of Panj Pradhani Council is five years, but there will be a difference in the time of commencement of the term as detailed below:

i. In the first year of the Sarbat Khalsa Jathebandi, the Gursikh Core Committee will agree on three new names for the Panj Piyaare of the Panch Pradhani Council, while two will be from the Sarbat Khalsa Jathebandi of the previous term who have completed only two and a half years of their tenure. Being two or three members from the Panj Pradhani Council of the previous term will give continuity to the ongoing work and deliberations.

ii. On the completion of two and a half years of the Sarbat Khalsa, two of the five members of the Panch Pradhani Council will complete their five-year term. The Gursikh Core Committee will agree on two new names in their place.
(To start the process, out of the Panj Piyaare in section 3.8.i, two were from the acting Panj Piyaare. Thus, two from among the acting Panj Piyaare and three from the Sarbat Khalsa Panchayat were established as Panj Piyaare by the Gursikh Core Committee.)

3.9: The Panj Piyaare of Panj Pradhani Council, as selected through the above-mentioned steps, would be considered as Panj Piyaare of Sarbat Khalsa Jathebandi. They will approve or reject new applications to register Sikh Organizations (Ref: Articles 3.1 and 3.2), and the process will continue.

3.10: During the tenure, if one or more of the Panj Piyaare cannot perform duties for various reasons, in such a case, the serving Gursikh Core Committee will select replacements among the Sarbat Khalsa Panchayat representatives belonging to the same region. The replacement of the vacant positions in the Gursikh Core Committee will also be made in a similar way. The replacement positions will be for the duration of outstanding tenure, not for five years.

3.11: If, due to any external reasons, the Gursikh Core Committee or Panj Piyaare cannot be nominated in a region/country (as per clause 3.6.v or 3.8), in such a case, the total number, that is, 25 members of the Gursikh Core Committee and Panj Piyaare of the Panj Pradhani Council, will always be kept intact by increasing representation from the rest of the regions. (Article 3.11 shall apply only in case of an exception arising out of external causes)

4. Impartiality Clauses:

4.1: Since the Panj Pradhani Council is the approval authority, Panj Piyaare cannot be nominated again consecutively for the Panj Pradhani Council to avoid a conflict of interest. However, they can continue to serve as Sarbat Khalsa Panchayat Representative and may become part of the Gursikh Core Committee upon completion of their tenure. To be nominated again for Panj Piyaare, there must be a minimum five-year gap.

4.2: Selection of the Gursikh Core Committee will be made by the serving Panj Piyaare (ref. Article 3.6); two or three of these Panj Piyaare will be replaced by new names mandatorily, keeping impartiality intact (ref. Article 3.8.i & 3.8.ii).

4.3: Just as the approval of Panj Piyaare of Panj Pradhani Council is mandatory for the registration of a Sikh organization and for the nominations of Sarbat Khalsa Panchayat representatives, similarly, the approval of Panj Piyaare is mandatory for retiring any registered organization or Sarbat Khalsa Panchayat representative for not meeting the eligibility criteria.

4.4: Registered organizations or Sarbat Khalsa Panchayat representatives can retire from Sarbat Khalsa Jathebandi whenever they want.

4.5: Sarbat Khalsa Jathebandi will utilize the money on necessary projects as per the transparent funding policy and will have a policy of financial audit as per international standards. The process of establishing and implementing the Committee on Funding and Financial Audit Policy shall be supervised by the Panj Piyaare of the Panj Pardhani Council (Ref: Article 5).

4.6: An IT Security policy will be devised to manage the website, social media accounts, data protection, and other IT assets. The process of establishing and implementing the IT Security Policy shall be supervised by the Panj Piyaare of the Panj Pardhani Council (Ref: Article 5).

5. Process Flow for Panthic-Matta:

5.1: To consider any suggestions on policy or any matter, a committee will be constituted under the supervision of Panj Piyaare of Panj Pradhani Council. It will be a five-member committee from among the representatives of the Sarbat Khalsa Panchayat. Committee members will be appointed based on the expertise required for the issue or policy. If desired, this five-member committee can add more members for more information or expertise. Additional members may be from among the Sarbat Khalsa Panchayat representatives or from outside. However, the responsibility of presenting the proposal lies with a five-member committee, which the Panj Pardhani Council has appointed.

5.2: For any clarification or information regarding the five-member committee's suggestions, the Panj Pardhani Council may send the proposal back for reconsideration.

5.3: Any approval or Panthic-Matta will be considered passed only when Panj Piyaare of Panj Pradhani Council unanimously agree to it, who will deliberate in the light of Baani of Guru Granth Sahib Ji. This will also save Sarbat Khalsa Jathebandi from majoritarianism.

5.4: In the event of disagreement within the Panj Pradhani Council, all Panj Piyaare will present their opinion to the Sarbat Khalsa Panchayat in writing in the light of the Baani of Guru Granth Sahib Ji. The issue can be considered again by the next appointed Panj Piyaare of the Panj Pardhani Council. If consensus is reached, the Panthic-Matta will be presented.

6. Eligibility Criteria for the Registration of Sikh Organizations:

6.1: The Sikh organizations or management committees, who believe in the Baani of Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji as the perfect Guru, have full faith in the continuity of Ten Guru Sahibs and Khande-Baate Ki Pahul.

6.2: Those Sikh organizations or management committees whose administrative body or head is selected by defined rules without any political interference and without promoting deravaad.

(Deravaad: For a Sikh, the Bani of Guru Granth Sahib Ji remains supreme, whereas ‘Deravaad’ is a system in which the teachings and commands of an individual are considered the basis of life. Such Deras create the illusion that the Gurbani interpretation methodology and the rituals (or code of conduct) established by them are supreme.)

7. Eligibility Criteria for the Nominations of Sarbat Khalsa Panchayat Representatives:

7.1: The saabat-soorat Singhs & Kaurs, those who believe in the Baani of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji as the perfect Guru, have full faith in the continuity of Ten Guru Sahibs and Khande-Baate di Pahul.

7.2: Singh or Kaur must hold expertise in one of the areas specified in 3.3.iii.

7.3: The nominated candidate should not be an active member of any political party.

(In order to lead, the nominated person should be living as per Gurmat principles and should ideally possess the virtues of humility, Nirbhau (fearlessness) & Nirvaer (without enmity).)

8. Continuous Improvement:

For reforms in the functioning of the Sarbat Khalsa Jathebandi, a five-member committee (Ref: Article 5) under the supervision of the Panj Pradhani Council will be constituted, if required, which will work on proposals for necessary amendments. The proposed amendments will be shared with Sarbat Khalsa Panchayat Representatives for their feedback. The Panj Pradhani Council will examine the proposals and approve them in an open house meeting of Sarbat Khalsa Panchayat Representatives. Consistency in Ideology, Transparency in Proceedings, Improvement in Representation of Sangat, and Upholding the Sovereignty of Sarbat Khalsa should be the guiding principles for proposals and final amendments for reforms.

9. Timelines for the Process Flow:

9.1: Ten new members for the Gursikh Core Committee to replace those who have completed a five-year term are selected by the serving Panj Pradhani Council, six months prior to the selection of the Panj Pradhani Council. This corresponds to 15th Oct (1st Kattak as per Nanakshahi Calendar), of the fifth year. (Ref: Article 3.6)

9.2: The Gursikh Core Committee agrees on the three names for Panj Piyaare and announces them on 14th April (1st Vaisakh as per the Nanakshahi Calendar). The other two will be from the previous term who have yet to complete their five-year tenure. This date is considered the first year of the term for the Panj Pradhani Council. (Ref: Article 3.8.i)

9.3: Fifteen new members for the Gursikh Core Committee to replace those who have completed a five-year term are selected by the Panj Pradhani Council, six months prior to the selection of the Panj Pradhani Council. This corresponds to 15th June (1st Haar as per Nanakshahi Calendar) of the third year of Panj Pradhani Council. (Ref: Article 3.6)

9.4: The Gursikh Core Committee will agree on the names of two of the Panj Piyaare of Panj Pradhani Council by 1st December of the third year. The term for these two Panj Piaayre starts on 14th December (1st Poh as per the Nanakshahi Calendar). (Ref: Article 3.8.ii)

10: Pictorial Representation of the Organization Structure:

These By-Laws were approved unanimously by the Panj Pradhani Council in the meeting of Sarbat Khalsa Panchayat Representatives on 14th March 2026 (1st Chet, Nanakshahi 558):
S. Nirmal Singh (Victoria, Canada), S. Gurpreet Singh GP (Bahrain), Dr. Khushhal Singh (Chandigarh), Giani Amritpal Singh (Ludhiana), S. Satbir Singh (Delhi)