Gurmat‑Based Sikh Governance: Re‑centering Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, the Akal Takht, and Sarbat Khalsa in Panthic decision‑making

This paper proposes a principled model for how Sikhs should be governed in matters of doctrine, discipline, and collective action under Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji—the living Shabad-Guru, one Jot with the Ten Gurus—while recognizing the distinct (and limited) role of modern statutory and administrative bodies that manage gurdwara property and day-to-day operations. It argues for a clear hierarchy of authority—Akal Purakh → Shabad-Guru (Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji) → Guru-Panth acting through representative Panthic deliberation (Sarbat Khalsa and Gurmatta)—and for an institutional separation between (1) Gurmat decision-making and (2) administrative trusteeship. Historically, Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji’s establishment of the Akal Takht institutionalized the doctrine of mīrī-pīrī (temporal and spiritual responsibility) and provided a forum to address the community’s collective affairs. In the eighteenth century, Sarbat Khalsa gatherings and Gurmatta resolutions became a recognized mechanism for Panth-wide decision-making. In the modern period, however, legal frameworks such as the Sikh Gurdwaras Act (1925) and the consolidation of authority within elected committees have often blurred the boundary between administrative management and Panthic sovereignty. The paper diagnoses key governance failures that flow from this confusion—political capture, legitimacy disputes, weak due process, and global underrepresentation—and proposes reforms that operationalize Gurmat principles in a contemporary, transparent, and representative way. Gurmukhi quoted verbatim; English is “sense rendering” unless a named translator is cited Canonical version is the Zenodo DOI; mirrors must link back to the concept DOI.