History

SGPC (Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee), Sri Amritsar

Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, Sri Amritsar abbreviated as SGPC and called as mini-parliament of Sikhs, is directly elected through election by the Sikh sangat i.e. Sikh male and female voters above 18 years of age who are registered as voters under the provisions of the Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925.

This Act was enacted by the British Punjab Government after assent of the Punjab Governor-General on July 28, 1925, A.D. which was published first time in Punjab Gazette of August 07, 1925, A.D. This Act came into force on November 1, 1925, A.D. following its official notification No. 4288-S dated October 12, 1925, A.D.

Following the demise of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in June 1839, A.D. the Sikh Empire started to decline and it finally lasted till March 1849, A.D. when the British government took over the charge in Punjab.
To take control of Sri Darbar Sahib, Amritsar, the British government first appointed a "Chief Administrator" (Sarabraah) through deputy commissioner (DC), Amritsar and the use of gurdwara management started to take place for establishing Christianity in Punjab.

Slowly, the devout Sikhs began to break away from the Guru Ghars and during the British rule, the management of Gurdwaras came into the hands of udasi mahants, and these managers played in the hands of the ruling power.
Following, to rectify the deterioration in the management of the Gurdwaras, the alert or conscious Gursikhs organized themselves to consolidate the power and capability and formed Singh Sabha Lehar (movement) and Chief Khalsa Diwan. With these developments, the Sikhs started Gurdwara Reform Movement to improve management in Gurdwaras.