Which Sikh Guru Wrote 'Anand Karaj'? Punjab and Haryana HC Refers Question To Expert Committee In Service Matter

Which Sikh Guru has written 'Anand Karaj'? The question asked by the Punjab Police department in an exam held for promotion of Constables to Head Constables has been referred by Punjab and Haryana High Court to an Expert Committee.

Why? The court was hearing a case filed by two petitioners, who claimed that their promotion was wrongly denied on the basis of a wrong answer key.

Justice Jaishree Thakur in the order said, "Keeping in mind the complexity of the question and the answer to the question Tell, which Sikh Guru has written "Anand Karaj"?, this Court deems it appropriate to dispose of the instant writ petition directing the respondents-State to refer the matter to the Expert Committee so appointed by it".

Directing the State to constitute the expert committee within a period of four weeks, the court said the latter will furnish its answer to authorities within a month of its constitution. "The authorities would then take appropriate action as called for. In case the petitioners are entitled to any relief, the same be accorded to them," said the court

Observing that the court is not an expert on the subject, Justice Thakur said, "It is a well settled principle that the Courts cannot take upon itself the task to examine discrepancies and inconsistency in question paper and evaluation thereof, which is a task assigned to the examiner - Selection Board. It is best left to the experts in the field to decide what would be the correct answer to the disputed question".

The petitioners were selected as Constables in the police in 2012. The Basic Proficiency Test was conducted at PAP Headquarters in Jalandhar in April 2017. When the answer key was declared, the petitioners found that answer to the question on Anand Karaj was "wrongly declared" by the department. Since the department refused to accept their answers, they remained on the waiting list.

The petitioners' counsel told the court that Guru Amardass Ji is the right answer.

"Anand Sahib was written by Guru Amar Das Ji and four Lavan was written by Guru Ram Das Ji. Anand Sahib is the Bani of Guru Amar Das Ji and usually read during all the functions held in Sikh community but Lavan was written by Guru Ram Das Ji and read only at the time of marriage ceremony of Sikhs. The reading of the aforesaid question itself would reflect that the intent of the examiner was to ask that who has written the Anand Karaj, which would pertain to the marriage ceremony and, therefore, the correct answer would be that Guru Ram Das Ji had written the Anand Karaj," advocate D.S. Kahlon submitted.

The State counsel on the other hand argued right answer to the aforesaid question is "Guru Amar Das Ji as he initiated Anand Viah-Anand Marriage [and] composed Anand (Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, at 'Angg' 917), a composition having forty steps or stanzas. The marriage was solemnised by reciting Anand (Anand Sahib) and Ardas (Invocation-Supplication), and this ceremony got the name of Anand Viah, or Anand Karaj."

Title: PRABHJOT KAUR AND ANOTHER versus STATE OF PUNJAB AND OTHERS

Citation: 2022 LiveLaw (PH) 275 

Click Here To Read Order/Judgment