The Maharashtra Government has reinstated the Takht Hazur Sahib board following directions from the Bombay High Court, ending a period of administration by a government-appointed administrator after the board’s dissolution in 2022.The Aurangabad Bench of the HC had set October 28 as the deadline for the government to restore the board, warning of action in case of non-compliance.Acting on the court’s directions, the government issued a fresh notification reinstating the Nanded Sikh Gurdwara Sachkhand Shri Hazur Abchalnagar Sahib Board and its nine-member board that was in place before its dissolution.However, board president Bhupinder Singh Minhas has passed away, it is learnt. The remaining eight members are expected to assume charge. They are Gurinder Singh Bawa (vice-president), Ravinder Singh Bhungai (secretary), Gobind Singh Longowal (former SGPC president), Raghujit Singh Virk (SGPC senior vice-president), Paramjot Singh Chahal, Gurmit Singh Mahajan, Harpal Singh Bhatia and Manpreet Singh Kunjivale.Bhungai and Chahal had challenged the government’s decision to dissolve the board and appoint an administrator, triggering a prolonged legal battle.Describing the restoration as a historic development, Bhungai said the board once again comprised members elected under the governing Act.“It is a historic win for the ‘Nanak naam leva’ sangat. The autonomous status of the Takht was undermined by the government’s undue interference when it disbanded the board comprising elected members and appointed an administrator to run the Takht’s affairs. We will soon convene a meeting to take charge and streamline the administration of the Takht, particularly in view of the demise of our president,” he said.Takht Sachkhand Sri Hazur Sahib has been governed under the Nanded Sikh Gurdwara Sachkhand Sri Hazur Abchalnagar Sahib Act, 1956, for nearly seven decades.The Act provides for a 17-member board, to administer the Takht and associated historic gurdwaras in Maharashtra, but the board in 2022 consisted of nine members only.