Gurdwara Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji

Bhat Sangat

Potternewton Mansion, Potternewton Park, Harehills Lane, Leeds, LS7 4HB

Constitution

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1.0 GENERAL

The Sikh Gurdwara shall be known as Gurdwara Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji Bhat (Hereinafter

referred to as ‘Gurdwara’).

The address of the Gurdwara is Potternewton Mansion, Potternewton Park, Harehills Lane,

Leeds LS7 4HB.

Purpose of Constitution

The purpose of this Constitution is to form a lawful organisation to run the Gurdwara in

accordance with Sikh Principles.

2.0 AIMS

2.1 To use the premises for the Spiritual upliftment of the followers of the Sikh Religion

through the teachings laid down in the Holy Scriptures in the Sri Guru Granth Sahib.

2.1 To promote equality amongst all peoples irrespective of Race, Colour, Creed and

Gender.

2.3 To help other charitable organisations both in the UK and Worldwide by raising

funds for appeals such as Earthquakes, Famines and Floods.

2.4 To encourage the Sikh youth to participate in sports events organised both within

the Sikh Community and with the wider Community.

3.0 OBJECTIVES

3.1 To hold congregations (Diwans) for the Sikh Sangat at least weekly, for worship and

the teaching of religious tenets or doctrines.

3.2 To facilitate the celebration of special religious functions on important occasions

such as the Birthdays and Martyrdom days of the Sikh Gurus.

3.3 To perform the services on Births, Baptisms (Amrit Parchar), Marriages and Deaths in

the traditional Sikh way.

3.4 To organise special Congregations (Diwans) in order to propagate the ideals of

Sikhism by inviting eminent priests and speakers to lecture on Sikh Religion.

3.5 To promote the cause of mutual understanding and strengthen bonds between the

Sikh and other communities.

3.6 To provide facilities to meet the educational needs of our children in order to learn

Punjabi, History, Religion and Culture of the Sikhs, as well as English Language and

Information Technology.

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3.7 To maintain a library under the name of the Temple consisting of religious, historical,

social and cultural literature as considered relevant to assist with 3.6.

3.8 To provide facilities for the elderly members of our community to overcome

isolation, whilst providing guidance, advice and support on health and other

important issues.

4.0 REGISTERED MEMBERS

4.1 Qualifications

4.11 Any Male or Female belonging to the Community known as the Sadh Sangat Sabha shall be considered as a member.

4.12 Members registered on the Chanda register are eligible to vote on all issues at

meetings including elections of the Parbandhak Committee (Managing Committee)

and to be nominated for posts in the Parbandhak Committee.

4.13 The Sadh Sangat can appoint according to the constitutional procedure of election,

any member to be an ordinary member or an Officer in the Parbandhak Committee.

4.14 The Sadh Sangat as a whole will have power to veto new membership applications

together with the powers to accept or reject them.

4.2 If the Sadh Sangat approves an application the new member must pay £101 to the

Gurdwara Chanda Fund and a donation to the Gurdwara building fund. The new

member has a voting right from that point on, however cannot hold a post in the

Executive Committee for a period of five years from the date of being accepted.

5.0 PARBANDHAK COMMITTEE (Management Committee)

The Management shall be known as The Gurdwara Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji Bhat

Sabha Parbandhak Committee.

The Parbandhak Committee shall be elected annually as soon as is feasibly possible

after 31st December.

5.1 Qualifications for members of the Executive Officers

Each and every Member of the Executive Committee MUST:

i. Be a practicing Amritdhari Sikh. (A Baptized Sikh, who believes in Sikh Gurus and Sikh

Rehat Maryada (Sikh Code of Conduct));

ii. Be a Registered Member of the Gurdwara for the last 12 consecutive months

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(Except for the year this constitution comes into effect); and maintain his/her

Membership for the duration he/she is in this committee;

iii. Be prepared to work as a Sevadar (servant) of the Gurdwara strictly on a voluntary

basis (with no monetary compensation).

iv. The qualifications for members of the Executive Committee are thus identical to the

first three qualifications for members of the Selection Committee. The Executive

5.2 The Parbandhak Committee shall consist of the following three Executive Officers:

- President

- General Secretary

- Treasurer

5.3 Term of Office The term of office of the Executive Committee shall be two years. If,

in spite of following the process on time, due to some unforeseen reasons, the new

Executive Officers are unable to take charge on the Vaisakhi day, the outgoing

committee will continue until the incoming committee takes charge.

5.4 The Parbandhak Committee shall also be comprised of a Working Committee:

5.41 The Working Committee shall consist of the following roles:

- Maintenance Manager

- Two Marriage Registrars

- Two Storekeepers

- Two Jorey Jethedar

- Sports Manager

5.42 Depending on the need and circumstances of the Gurdwara, the Executive

Committee can add or eliminate the positions of the Working Committee on their

own discretion.

5.5 Duties of the Parbandhak – Executive Committee

5.51 The Executive Committee can submit any proposal for required amendments to the

constitution in accordance with section 14 of this constitution.

5.52 The specific duties of the three individual members have been listed below. In

addition there are duties that apply to all members.

5.53 The Gurdwara is the home of the Guru and to keep it running smoothly and in order,

every member should try his/her best to come to every Divan early and stay till the

end, and try to do whatever is needed to ensure that everything goes smoothly.

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5.6 President

i. The President ensures harmony & smoothness in running Gurdwara activities and

Interacts/Coordinates with outside organizations.

ii. The President will preside over the Parbandhak Committee as well as the General

meetings.

iii. The President is responsible for the discipline and general order at meetings of the

Parbandhak Committee and at General meetings.

iv. The President will be answerable to the Sadh Sangat for the general work of the

Parbandhak Committee.

v. The President shall ask the Treasurer to produce his/her accounts for inspection on a

quarterly basis. If the Treasurer is unable to produce up to date accounts, the

President can report the matter to the Sadh Sangat who can demand that the

accounts be brought up to date and kept in proper order.

5.7 General Secretary

i. The General Secretary shall be responsible for maintaining a minute book to record

the proceedings of Parbandhak Committee and General Meetings.

ii. The General Secretary will issue the Agenda for Parbandhak Committee and General

Meetings and shall implement the resolutions passed as well as attending to

Parbandhak matters.

iii. The General Secretary will be responsible for maintaining an inventory for the

furniture/fittings and other articles of the Gurdwara.

iv. At the end of the term of Office, the General Secretary shall prepare an Annual

Report comprehensive in structure and deliberations on the work of the whole

Parbandhak Committee to be presented before the Sadh Sangat before the election.

v. The General Secretary shall deal with all correspondence shall have general

supervision of the Gurdwara and organise the programmes for the Stage Secretary

on Sunday congregations and at other religious festivals and functions.

vi. Additionally the General Secretary shall:

- Act as the Stage Secretary (MC) during the Divans;

- In his/her capacity of Stage Secretary, the General Secretary shall organise

and perform the stage announcement duties at Sunday congregations and

other religious festivals and functions. This shall include taking down the

details of donations (Ardas) by members of the congregation and giving this

account to the Treasurer;

- Manage opening of the Gurdwara Building for all functions/Divans;

- Manage attendance of Guru Granth Sahib during all Divans (Chaur Seva);

- Co-ordinate any Seminars on Sikhism and/or Issues about Sikhs organized by

the Gurdwara;

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- Supervise the Gurdwara Bulletin boards and keep an eye on all notes /

printouts posted on them.

5.8 Treasurer

i. The Treasurer shall collect all the money from Donations of Ardas and donations

from the Golak (safe) and bank all the monies received by the Gurdwara Sahib.

ii. The Treasurer shall pay all the Gurdwara’s bills and deal with all correspondence

relating to the accounts.

iii. The Treasurer shall prepare quarterly statements of income and expenditure and will

read out and explain these to the Sadh Sangat and if required to do so will display a

copy of the same on the notice board.

iv. The Treasurer shall keep and maintain adequate financial records in Cash Books,

Ledgers and Reconciliation registers, of income and expenditure and give the full

account before the Sadh Sangat at the end of his/her year of Office and before the

next election.

v. The Treasurer shall monitor and manage all insurances for the Gurdwara.

vi. The Treasurer shall be held responsible by the Sadh Sangat if there is any evidence

that there has been misappropriation of the Gurdwara’s Funds.

5.9 Duties of the Parbandhak – Working Committee

5.91 The role of the working committee is to co-ordinate essential tasks.

5.92 Members of the Working Committee will make up their teams, as required, and co-

ordinate their teams to achieve the successful completion of assigned tasks.

5.10 Maintenance Manager

i. The Maintenance Manager shall monitor all building and maintenance needs of the

Gurdwara complex.

ii. The Maintenance Manager shall prioritise building, maintenance or refurbishment

works as into how urgent or necessary it is.

iii. By liaising with building and material suppliers the Maintenance Manager shall

obtain the most competitive quotations for work to be done.

iv. No work is to be undertaken without prior consultation with the Parbandhak

Committee.

v. No person other than the Maintenance Manager has any authority to order any

building materials, order work to be carried out on the Gurdwara building complex

without consultation with the Parbandhak Committee.

5.11 Marriage Registrars

i. The Marriage Registrars shall be responsible for the registration of marriages

performed at the Gurdwara and shall ensure that each registration fulfils all legal

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aspects according to English law, ensuring that all details such as date, time, identity

of persons to be married, their status and nationality are all correct so that our

licence to register marriages is at all times safeguarded.

ii. It is proposed that this post be categorised as unpaid and that all monies be paid to

the Gurdwara.

5.12 Storekeepers

i. Storekeepers shall at the beginning of their term of office take an inventory of all the

major utensils and other items such as mobile gas cookers, tables and chairs.

ii. Storekeepers shall make a note of any utensil or equipment taken from the

Gurdwara by any member, together with the quantity and full description of the

item (s).

iii. Storekeepers shall give a report to the Parbandhak Committee and Sadh Sangat

regards any shortfalls or damage to items taken by a member.

iv. Storekeepers shall receive any Badhaan donation required from the user, notate this

and pass the same to the Treasurer at Sunday congregation.

5.13 Two Jorey Jethedar

i. The ten persons between them shall be responsible for the kitchen and catering on

occasions when the Langar seva is open i.e. the Seva.

ii. They shall also have overall responsibility for catering at the Gurupurbs and other

Sikh festival occasions.

5.14 Sports Manager

i. A Sports Manager will be appointed to take on the responsibility for organising

sporting activities to promote Sikh youngsters to take part in all sports competitions

at Local, National and International level.

6.0 ELECTIONS

6.1 The Elections for the Parbandhak Committee shall be held as soon as is possible after

31st December of each year.

6.2 These elections will be held after all the Officers who have held posts in the previous

year give a full account to the Sadh Sangat. Those Officers shall then formally resign

their posts.

6.3 The Election of new Officers shall take place after the above process.

6.4 The transfer of charge from the outgoing Parbandhak Committee to the newly

elected Parbandhak Committee shall then take place.

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6.5 Transfer of new signatories for banking authorisation purposes etc. shall take place

as soon as is convenient after.

6.6 Right to Nomination

6.7 Any Male or Female belonging to the Community known as the Gurdwara Guru

Hargobind Sahib Ji Bhat Singh Sabha over the age of 21 years old and, on the Chanda

Register and considered suitable and competent to hold such a post by the Sadh

Sangat shall be eligible to stand for a post in the Parbandhak Committee .

7.0 THE GRANTHI (Priest)

7.1 He shall be a devoted Sikh and observe the five K’s, namely: - Kesh, Kanga, Kachaira,

Karra and Kirpan.

7.2 He should recite the Guru Granth Sahib Ji every Morning and Evening at the

Gurdwara and thereafter the Evening Prayer of Rehras and at the time of closing the

Granth Sahib should recite the Kirtan Sohila.

7.3 He should arrange to attend to the worshipper and do the necessary prayers,

services (Ardas and Hukamnama) after or before the normal daily services, but the

worshipper should fix the time with the Granthi in advance.

7.4 He should arrange for the Amrit Parchar (ceremony) for new born babies and their

mothers.

7.5 He shall ensure that marriages ceremonies performed are in accordance with the

rites and rituals of the Gurmariyada of Sikhism.

7.6 He should attend whenever possible to give the last rites to the terminally ill and to

give religious support to the relatives.

7.7 He should attend the necessary prayer service on the Funeral or cremation sites.

7.8 He should make appropriate arrangements for outside visitors regarding their

accommodation and food.

7.9 He shall be responsible for the general cleanliness of the Sanctum (Prakash and Sukh

Asan Asthan).

7.10 He should be prepared to look after the Gurdwara in general and take great care to

preserve the sanctity of the Holy place.

7.11 As part of his general duties he shall take bookings from members of the community

for use of the Gurdwara and facilities for religious functions and ensure the facilities

are not double booked.

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7.13 As a religious leader within our community he must not involve himself in actions

that may reflect adversely upon the community. If it is found that the Granthi has

been lacking in his general duties or that he has through his actions brought adverse

feeling towards the Gurdwara community the Parbandhak Committee after

consultation with the Sadh Sangat are empowered to dismiss and replace him.

8.0 EDUCATION

8.1 The Parbandhak Committee shall make provisions for religious instruction, and the

teaching of Indian music.

8.2 The admission to the above classes will be open to children of all ages.

8.3 The Parbandhak Committee shall make provision for the teaching of Punjabi and

English Language.

8.4 The Parbandhak Committee shall consult with Punjabi Teachers with a view that an

assessment may be made of the level of learning with a view for children to attain

basic certification and encourage further education in Punjabi.

8.5 It is desirable that provisions be made for classes in the above to be extended to

adult members of our community.

8.6 It is desirable to make arrangements for training courses to train more Granthies and

Pathies especially from the younger members of our community.

8.7 The Parbandhak Committee shall explore avenues to form partnerships with

agencies that can supply Information Technology for the use of all the community.

9.0 TRUSTEES

9.1 They shall hold the property known as Potternewton Mansion, Potternewton Park,

and Harehills Lane, Leeds LS7 4HB as joint tenants upon trust.

9.2 The Board of Trustees shall act in a manner which is for the welfare and Benefit of

the Sadh Sangat.

9.3 The Office of a Trustee is declared vacant in the event of the following: Death;

resignation; bankruptcy; unfaithfulness; becoming of unsound mind; being

connected with a felony which attracts a criminal record or a term of imprisonment.

9.4 A Trustee cannot resign at any time from his/her office unless there is valid reason

which is approved by the Parbandhak Committee and passed by the Sadh Sangat.

9.5 To appoint a Trustee the normal practice shall be the person’s name shall be

nominated and approved by more than 66% of the Parbandhak Committee and

reported to the Sadh Sangat for approval.

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9.6 Once approved the appointment shall be minute in the Gurdwara’s records and

notification of the Trustee shall be given to the Gurdwara’s Solicitor so that the

necessary steps can be taken.

9.7 The Board of Trustees may raise or borrow monies upon such terms as they see fit

and may also charge all or any assets held upon trust for the Gurdwara with the

repayment thereof and the payment of interest thereon and the monies so raised or

borrowed may be employed in the purchase of any investments or for any other

purpose which is in the interest of the Gurdwara Community with the approval of

the Sadh Sangat.

9.8 The Board of Trustees shall be independent of the Parbandhak Committee i.e. No

member of the Board of Trustees can be a member of the Parbandhak Committee

and vice versa.

10.0 USE OF PREMISES

10.1 Political activities shall not be allowed in the building of the Gurdwara.

10.2 Any representative from any Political Party may write to the General Secretary if

they wish to speak to the Community. This matter will be raised before the

Parbandhak Committee and Sadh Sangat and if approved the representative will be

invited to speak in the Community hall.

10.3 Equality shall be shown to speakers from all political parties; however no member

shall speak to the Sadh Sangat on such matters within the sanctity of the Darbar

Sahib.

10.4 Social meetings that promote racial harmony between the Sikh and other

Communities are desirable and should be encouraged.

10.5 Smoking, Drinking and Gambling are strictly prohibited.

11.0 MEETINGS

11.1 The Parbandhak Committee shall hold a meeting every month.

11.2 Seven days’ notice of any meetings together with the agenda shall be posted to

every member at their last known address. Information of this shall be announced in

the Diwan a week in advance.

11.3 It is essential that members notify the Parbandhak Committee of any change of

address.

11.4 The President shall preside over the Meetings and in his absence the vice president.

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11.5 The President can call Emergency Meetings. On such meetings one third of the

members of the Parbandhak Committee are sufficient to form a quorum. However

no policy matters can be discussed at such meetings, only matters for which the

meeting was called.

11.6 Every member shall have the right to one vote and when votes for and against on a

certain issue are equal in number then the President has the right to the casting

vote.

11.7 Any member of the Parbandhak Committee who remains absent for three

consecutive meetings without a valid reason, shall be brought to the notice of the

Parbandhak Committee and the Sadh Sangat and a special notice served. If the

absence continues then they shall forfeit that post.

11.8 The proceedings of the meetings of the Gurdwara Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji shall not

be open to the press or media and any information will be released through the

proper channels via the Gurdwara spokesperson.

12.0 BREACH OF DISCIPLINE

12.1 Any allegations that might arise within the Parbandhak Committee or from within

the Sadh Sangat must be looked into by the Committee. As far as possible the

Committee must try to clear the points of allegation. In a case where the Committee

finds that its own integrity is under question or they find it better that an

Independent Board look into the matter, the Committee should appoint an

Independent Board after consultation with the Sadh Sangat. This Board should have

one member from the existing Committee to present the whole case to the Board.

12.2 In case the findings of the Committee fail to satisfy the Sadh Sangat, it is imperative

that the Committee must appoint a Board of Inquiry. If the Committee through any

partisanship tries to defy the Sadh Sangat by misusing its powers, the Sangat should

ask to get every point of allegation cleared up.

12.3 Even if the Board or Committee exonerates the person accused, it must also try to

trace the motive of the allegation. If the motive is found to be dishonourable the

Board can ask for an apology before the whole Sadh Sangat and impose whatever

fine it may deem fitting.

12.4 The accused and the complainant have also the full right to defend/present his/her

case before the Board or whomsoever it may be.

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13.0 MISCELLANEOUS

13.1 Siropa: - The Committee should also keep a view to offer the honour of Siropa and

report to the Sadh Sangat the person most deserving this honour. The Siropa should

not be more than five pounds plus a Dastar.

13.2 Charities: - The Committee should take an active part in the field of Charities and

should liaise with charitable organisations both in the UK and abroad to identify the

needy sections of Society. The aid can be in any shape such as manpower, food

parcels, clothes or financial contributions.

13.3 Sub Committees or Boards: - the Parbandhak Committee can form or appoint sub

Committees or Boards so as to facilitate their work and to bring about more

concentration and specialism e.g. Grant Funding, Education, Care work etc.

14.0 AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION.

14.1 At any stage if it felt by the Parbandhak Committee or the Sadh Sangat that there is a

need for amendment (s) to the constitution the matter should be brought before the

Sadh Sangat and the amendment brought about. The amended copy of the

Constitution should then forward to the Gurdwara’s Solicitors and other bodies that

need to be notified.

14.2 There shall be formed a Constitution Committee consisting of five members of the

Sadh Sangat who understand it and are prepared to enforce it if necessary. These

five members should hold office for one year. These five persons shall be

Independent of the Parbandhak Committee.