Bibi Jagir Kaur (born 15 October 1954) was the president of the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC). She was the first woman to be elected president of the SGPC, and has been elected a total of three times.
Jagir Kaur | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 15 October 1954 |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Occupation(s) | Agriculture, social service, politician |
| Spouse | Late. S. Charanjit Singh |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | Bhagirath Award |
| Website | http://bibijagirkaur.co.in/ |
Ms. Kaur's name was put forward by the senior Akali leader, Sukhdev Singh Bhaur, and seconded by another SGPC member, Harswinder Singh. There were no other contenders. She had held the same post from March 1999 to November 2000, when she resigned amid allegations that she was involved in the murder of her daughter.[1] She was later acquitted of all charges.[2]
The presidential position became vacant since the death of the Akali stalwart, Gurcharan Singh Tohra, who served for 26 terms. He died in March 2004 after a brief illness.[3]
Politics
editJagir Kaur is an active member of the Shiromani Akali Dal, a Sikh political party with a strong following in Punjab. She joined the party in 1995 and was shortly thereafter appointed member of the party's working committee. In 1997, she was elected from the Bholath constituency in Kapurthala district. She was appointed Tourism and Cultural Affairs Minister in addition to holding the portfolios of social welfare, development of women and children welfare in the Parkash Singh Badal Cabinet. She resigned the post of minister when she was appointed the President of the SGPC. Her rise was meteoric, rising from the position of a teacher in Mathematics to the post of President of the SGPC.[4]
Death of daughter
editJagir Kaur's daughter Harpreet Kaur was found dead under mysterious circumstance on 20 April 2000.[5] The Central Bureau of Investigation managed the case, widely perceived to be an honor killing ordered by Jagir Kaur in response to her daughter's elopement; Jagir Kaur was eventually sentenced to 5 years rigorous imprisonment for her role in the death of her daughter.[6] In 2017, the Supreme Court rejected a plea by Bibi Jagir Kaur to suspend her conviction so that she can contest the Assembly elections in Punjab.[7] The court on 4 December 2018 acquitted her of all the charges.[2]
References
edit- ^ "The case of a mother and daughter". Archived from the original on 6 October 2007. Retrieved 5 March 2007.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ a b Malik, Saurabh (4 December 2018). "Bibi Jagir Kaur acquitted in daughter's death case". The Tribune.
- ^ "The Hindu : National : Jagir Kaur is SGPC chief again". Archived from the original on 1 December 2007. Retrieved 5 March 2007.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ From a maths teacher to SGPC chief. Singh, Bajinder Pal. 17 March 1999. The Indian Express.
- ^ Singh, Varinder (21 April 1999). ""Bibi's teenaged daughter dead Mystery shrouds circumstances"". The Tribune.
- ^ Angre, Keti (31 March 2002). "Bibi Jagir Kaur jailed for role in daughter's kidnapping; murder charges dropped". NDTV.
- ^ "No court relief for Bibi Jagir Kaur". The Hindu. 18 January 2017.