Sardar Hukam Singh
Encyclopedia
Sardar Hukam Singh was an India
n politician and the speaker of the Lok Sabha
from 1962 to 1967. He was also governor of Rajasthan
from 1967 to 1972.
in Sahiwal District
(presently in Pakistan
). His father Sham Singh was a businessman. He passed his matriculation examination from the Government High School, Montgomery in 1913 and graduated from the Khalsa College, Amritsar, in 1917. He passed his LL.B. examination in 1921 from the Law College, Lahore and subsequently set up a practice as lawyer in Montgomery.
A devout Sikh
, Hukam Singh took part in the movement to free Sikh Gurdwaras from British political influence. When the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee
(Supreme Gurdwara Management Committee) was declared unlawful and most of its leaders arrested in October 1923, the Sikhs formed another organization of the same name. Sardar Hukam Singh was a member of this Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) and was one of those who were arrested on 7 January 1924 and sentenced to two years imprisonment. He was subsequently elected a member of the SGPC at the first elections held under the Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925, and continued to be elected successively for many years. He also took part in the anti-Simon Commission demonstrations in 1928 and was injured and arrested during a police baton charge on a procession in the streets of Montgomery.
Montgomery town, as well as the district of that name, fell in the predominantly Muslim majority region of Punjab, and Sikhs and Hindus faced a grave threat to their lives at the hands of Muslim fanatics, especially during the riots that broke out following the declaration of the partition of India
and creation of Pakistan in August 1947. Most Hindus and Sikhs of the district, including Hukam Singh's family, took refuge in the walled compound of Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha of which he himself was the president. He went about the town evacuating people from their houses, burying the dead, and evacuating the dying to hospital at grave personal risk. He was at the top of the rioters' hit list, when during the night of 19-20 August 1947, a European army officer of the Boundary Force evacuated him, penniless and disguised in a khaki uniform, to the Firozpur
army base.
After about ten days, Hukam Singh cam to know that his family had arrived safely in Jalandhar
. He then traced them to a refugee camp where he was able eventually to rejoin them. Giani Kartar Singh, a vastly influential Sikh leader of those days, introduced Sardar Hukam Singh to the Maharaja of Kapurthala
for a position as judge. The maharaja, who himself had taken to English ways of dress, was not at all pleased to see his prospective employee arriving in a traditional Punjabi tunic. As it happened, the prime minister made excuses for Sardar Hukam Singh, saying that as a refugee he had been unable to purchase proper attire. With that, he was hired as a Judge of the Kapurthala High Court.
and was its President for three years. He was also a member of the Montgomery Singh Sabha and its President for three years. Consequent upon Partition
, some seats in the Constituent Assembly of India
had become vacant. On a motion from Gurmukh Singh Musafir, the Assembly, on 27 January 1948 approved a motion to include two Sikh and two Hindu members elected from East Punjab
. Hukam Singh was elected to the Constituent Assembly of India on 30 April 1948 as a member of the Shiromani Akali Dal. He actively participated in the Constituent Assembly's debates, and only a year after his entry was nominated to the panel of its chairmen. He continued to be on the panel till his unanimous election as Deputy Speaker on 20 March 1956, this even though he was a member of the Opposition. This was a testimony not only to his popularity, but also to the confidence of the members in his ability to run the House in an efficient and impartial manner.
Although in March, 1948 the Shiromani Akali Dal had directed all Akali legislators to join the Congress legislature en bloc, Hukam Singh continued to function in opposition. He stubbornly fought for the protection of the rights of the minorities and, failing to obtain protection for Sikhs as a religious minority, refused to put his signature to the new constitution. He was also a member of the Provisional Parliament (1950–52).
In the 1st Lok Sabha
, Hukam Singh was elected from Kapurthala Bhatinda constituency in PEPSU state as an Akali Party candidate. He became the secretary of the National Democratic Front led by Shyama Prasad Mookerjee, who was its president. Later he joined and remained in the Congress
political party. On March 20, 1956, Hukam Singh was unanimously elected as the Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha. In 1957, he was elected to the 2nd Lok Sabha
from Bhatinda constituency
as an Congress
candidate. He was elected as Deputy Speaker of the 2nd Lok Sabha on May 17, 1957. In 1962, he was elected to the 3rd Lok Sabha
from Patiala constituency
as an Congress
candidate.
Hukam Singh presided impartially over debates on many subjects. The Defence of India Act was one of the major legislations passed by the House in the wake of the Chinese aggression on India in 1962. He also maintained decorum during the stormy debates when, for the first time in the history of the Lok Sabha, no confidence motions against the Council of Ministers were admitted and discussed in the House.
He was also the chairman of the Parliamentary Committee formed in October 1965 to find a solution to the issue of Punjabi Suba
. The longstanding deadlock over this issue was overcome when the committee gave its verdict in favour of a Punjabi State reorganized on a linguistic basis.
after his retirement from elected duties in 1967. He served as governor until July 1, 1972, when he settled down in Delhi.
Sardar Hukam Singh's retirement did not last long, however. In March 1973, the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee formed the Sri Guru Singh Sabha Shatabadi (centenary) Committee to celebrate the centenary of the Singh Sabha movement launched in 1873 with Hukam Singh as president. In this role, he participated in a tour of North America and Europe, touring the newfound domain of Sikhism in the Western Hemisphere, with special attention to the mission established by Siri Singh Sahib Harbhajan Singh Khalsa Yogiji (Yogi Bhajan). Sardar Hukam Singh was accompanied on this trip in the summer of 1974 by Gurcharan Singh Tohra
, SGPC President and Surjit Singh Barnala
.
In subsequent years, Hukam Singh's committee continued to function as a permanent non-political body under the name of Kendari Singh Sabha for research and teaching of Sikhism. He continued in his post to his death. Sardar Hukam Singh also maintained a warm and open relationship with Yogi Bhajan and his students, sometimes serving as advisor on ways of establishing communication and understanding between Sikhs of east and west, and often as host, and sometimes as representative at various functions.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n politician and the speaker of the Lok Sabha
Lok Sabha
The Lok Sabha or House of the People is the lower house of the Parliament of India. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by direct election under universal adult suffrage. As of 2009, there have been fifteen Lok Sabhas elected by the people of India...
from 1962 to 1967. He was also governor of Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
from 1967 to 1972.
Early life
Hukam Singh was born at MontgomerySahiwal
Sahiwal is a city in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the administrative centre of Sahiwal District and Sahiwal Division. Sahiwal is approximately 180 km from the major city Lahore and is the city between Lahore and Multan...
in Sahiwal District
Sahiwal District
Sahiwal District is a district in the Punjab province of Pakistan. As of 1998, it had a population of 1,843,194 people, 16.27% of which were located in urban areas. Since 2008, Sahiwal District along with Okara District and Pakpattan District has comprised the Sahiwal Division...
(presently in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
). His father Sham Singh was a businessman. He passed his matriculation examination from the Government High School, Montgomery in 1913 and graduated from the Khalsa College, Amritsar, in 1917. He passed his LL.B. examination in 1921 from the Law College, Lahore and subsequently set up a practice as lawyer in Montgomery.
A devout Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
, Hukam Singh took part in the movement to free Sikh Gurdwaras from British political influence. When the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee
Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee is an organization in India responsible for the upkeep of gurdwaras, Sikh places of worship in three states of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. SGPC also administers Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar. Gurdwaras in Delhi are the administered by Delhi Sikh...
(Supreme Gurdwara Management Committee) was declared unlawful and most of its leaders arrested in October 1923, the Sikhs formed another organization of the same name. Sardar Hukam Singh was a member of this Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) and was one of those who were arrested on 7 January 1924 and sentenced to two years imprisonment. He was subsequently elected a member of the SGPC at the first elections held under the Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925, and continued to be elected successively for many years. He also took part in the anti-Simon Commission demonstrations in 1928 and was injured and arrested during a police baton charge on a procession in the streets of Montgomery.
Montgomery town, as well as the district of that name, fell in the predominantly Muslim majority region of Punjab, and Sikhs and Hindus faced a grave threat to their lives at the hands of Muslim fanatics, especially during the riots that broke out following the declaration of the partition of India
Partition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...
and creation of Pakistan in August 1947. Most Hindus and Sikhs of the district, including Hukam Singh's family, took refuge in the walled compound of Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha of which he himself was the president. He went about the town evacuating people from their houses, burying the dead, and evacuating the dying to hospital at grave personal risk. He was at the top of the rioters' hit list, when during the night of 19-20 August 1947, a European army officer of the Boundary Force evacuated him, penniless and disguised in a khaki uniform, to the Firozpur
Firozpur
Firozpur is a city on the banks of the Sutlej River in Firozpur District, Punjab, India, founded by Sultan Firoz Shah Tughlaq , a Muslim ruler of the Tughlaq Dynasty who reigned over the Sultanate of Delhi from 1351 to 1388.The Manj Rajputs say the town was named after their chief, a Rajput of...
army base.
After about ten days, Hukam Singh cam to know that his family had arrived safely in Jalandhar
Jalandhar
Jalandhar is a city in Jalandhar District in the state of Punjab, India. It is located 144 km northwest of the state capital, Chandigarh...
. He then traced them to a refugee camp where he was able eventually to rejoin them. Giani Kartar Singh, a vastly influential Sikh leader of those days, introduced Sardar Hukam Singh to the Maharaja of Kapurthala
Kapurthala
Kapurthala is a city in Punjab state of India. It is the administrative headquarters of Kapurthala District. It was the capital of the Kapurthala State, a princely state in British India. The secular and aesthetic mix of the city with its prominent buildings based on French and Indo-Saracenic...
for a position as judge. The maharaja, who himself had taken to English ways of dress, was not at all pleased to see his prospective employee arriving in a traditional Punjabi tunic. As it happened, the prime minister made excuses for Sardar Hukam Singh, saying that as a refugee he had been unable to purchase proper attire. With that, he was hired as a Judge of the Kapurthala High Court.
Political career
Hukam Singh entered politics through the Shiromani Akali DalShiromani Akali Dal
The Shiromani Akali Dal , translation: Supreme Akali Party) is a Sikh nationalist political parties based in Punjab. The current party to be recognized by the Election Commission of India is the one led by Parkash Singh Badal...
and was its President for three years. He was also a member of the Montgomery Singh Sabha and its President for three years. Consequent upon Partition
Partition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...
, some seats in the Constituent Assembly of India
Constituent Assembly of India
The Constituent Assembly of India was elected to write the Constitution of India, and following independence served as the nation's first Parliament.-Nature of the Assembly:...
had become vacant. On a motion from Gurmukh Singh Musafir, the Assembly, on 27 January 1948 approved a motion to include two Sikh and two Hindu members elected from East Punjab
East Punjab
East Punjab was the part of the Punjab region that went to India following the Partition of the Punjab Province of British India between India and Pakistan in 1947...
. Hukam Singh was elected to the Constituent Assembly of India on 30 April 1948 as a member of the Shiromani Akali Dal. He actively participated in the Constituent Assembly's debates, and only a year after his entry was nominated to the panel of its chairmen. He continued to be on the panel till his unanimous election as Deputy Speaker on 20 March 1956, this even though he was a member of the Opposition. This was a testimony not only to his popularity, but also to the confidence of the members in his ability to run the House in an efficient and impartial manner.
Although in March, 1948 the Shiromani Akali Dal had directed all Akali legislators to join the Congress legislature en bloc, Hukam Singh continued to function in opposition. He stubbornly fought for the protection of the rights of the minorities and, failing to obtain protection for Sikhs as a religious minority, refused to put his signature to the new constitution. He was also a member of the Provisional Parliament (1950–52).
In the 1st Lok Sabha
1st Lok Sabha
The First Lok Sabha was constituted on 17 April 1952 after India's first general election. The 1st Lok Sabha lasted its full tenure of five years and was dissolved on 4 April 1957.- Important Members :- List of Members by state :...
, Hukam Singh was elected from Kapurthala Bhatinda constituency in PEPSU state as an Akali Party candidate. He became the secretary of the National Democratic Front led by Shyama Prasad Mookerjee, who was its president. Later he joined and remained in the Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
political party. On March 20, 1956, Hukam Singh was unanimously elected as the Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha. In 1957, he was elected to the 2nd Lok Sabha
2nd Lok Sabha
Membership of the Second Lok Sabha...
from Bhatinda constituency
Bhatinda (Lok Sabha constituency)
Bathinda Lok Sabha constituency is one of the 13 Lok Sabha constituencies of Punjab state in northern India.-Assembly segments:This Lok Sabha constituency comprises 9 Vidhan Sabha constituencies...
as an Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
candidate. He was elected as Deputy Speaker of the 2nd Lok Sabha on May 17, 1957. In 1962, he was elected to the 3rd Lok Sabha
3rd Lok Sabha
List of Members of the 3rd Lok Sabha, elected February-March 1962. The Lok Sabha is the lower house in the Parliament of India.-Important members:* Speaker:...
from Patiala constituency
Patiala (Lok Sabha constituency)
Patiala Lok Sabha constituency is one of the 13 Lok Sabha constituencies in Punjab state in northern India.-Assembly segments:This constituency comprises nine Vidhan Sabha segments...
as an Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
candidate.
Speaker of the Lok Sabha
He became speaker of the 3rd Lok Sabha (India's Lower House of Parliament) on April 17, 1962. As speaker of the Lok Sabha, Sardar Hukam Singh firmly upheld the supremacy of the legislature over the executive branch of government. He also ensured that decorum and discipline were observed in the House. If a member rose and spoke without being identified by the Chair, he would not catch the Speaker's eye. If the member persisted in continuing, we would not be asked to speak in the future. In extreme cases, the Speaker would instruct reporters not to record such speeches.Hukam Singh presided impartially over debates on many subjects. The Defence of India Act was one of the major legislations passed by the House in the wake of the Chinese aggression on India in 1962. He also maintained decorum during the stormy debates when, for the first time in the history of the Lok Sabha, no confidence motions against the Council of Ministers were admitted and discussed in the House.
He was also the chairman of the Parliamentary Committee formed in October 1965 to find a solution to the issue of Punjabi Suba
Punjabi Suba
Punjabi Suba was a proposed state in northwest India. It was proposed by Shiromani Akali Dal in 1966. The Punjabi Suba movement resulted in the trifurcation of the East Punjab into three states: Punjab , Himachal Pradesh and Haryana.-References:...
. The longstanding deadlock over this issue was overcome when the committee gave its verdict in favour of a Punjabi State reorganized on a linguistic basis.
Activities in Retirement
Sardar Hukam Singh was appointed governor of RajasthanRajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
after his retirement from elected duties in 1967. He served as governor until July 1, 1972, when he settled down in Delhi.
Sardar Hukam Singh's retirement did not last long, however. In March 1973, the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee formed the Sri Guru Singh Sabha Shatabadi (centenary) Committee to celebrate the centenary of the Singh Sabha movement launched in 1873 with Hukam Singh as president. In this role, he participated in a tour of North America and Europe, touring the newfound domain of Sikhism in the Western Hemisphere, with special attention to the mission established by Siri Singh Sahib Harbhajan Singh Khalsa Yogiji (Yogi Bhajan). Sardar Hukam Singh was accompanied on this trip in the summer of 1974 by Gurcharan Singh Tohra
Gurcharan Singh Tohra
Panth Rattan Shiri Gurcharan Singh Tohra , former president of SGPC , a Sikh body in charge of controlling Gurdwara . He died of a heart attack in New Delhi on April 1, 2004 at the age of 79...
, SGPC President and Surjit Singh Barnala
Surjit Singh Barnala
Surjit Singh Barnala is an Indian politician from Punjab. During his career in Indian politics, he has been Governor of four states, Chief Minister of Punjab, a minister in the union cabinet twice and a vice-presidential candidate once.-Early life:Barnala was born in Ateli village, which was then...
.
In subsequent years, Hukam Singh's committee continued to function as a permanent non-political body under the name of Kendari Singh Sabha for research and teaching of Sikhism. He continued in his post to his death. Sardar Hukam Singh also maintained a warm and open relationship with Yogi Bhajan and his students, sometimes serving as advisor on ways of establishing communication and understanding between Sikhs of east and west, and often as host, and sometimes as representative at various functions.
Author and Editor
As an eloquent lover of Sikhism, Sardar Hukam Singh launched the Spokesman English weekly in Delhi in 1951, and served as its editor for many years. He is also the author of two books in English, The Sikh Cause and The Problem of the Sikhs.External links
- Lok Sabha Speakers a brief sketch
- Sardar Hukam Singh: A Humane Parliamentarian by Roopinder Singh http://www.roopinder.com/blog/profile-articles-2/sardar-hukam-singh
Further reading
- Major Gurmukh Singh, “Sardar Hukam Singh”, The Encyclopedia of Sikhism, Harbans Singh, Editor-in-Chief, Punjabi University, Patiala, 1996, pp. 292-94.