JUDGMENT

Arijit Pasayat, J.-These five appeals by special leave arise from a common judgment of a Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The five appeals before it were directed against the order dated 1.8.1978 passed by the Sikh Gurdwaras Tribunal Punjab, Chandigarh (in short the Tribunal ) in Petition nos.663 and 654 of 1975.

2. Synoptical resume of the tactual position is as follows:

One Bakhtawar Singh and fifty nine other worshippers of an institution alleged to be Gurdwara Sahib Ji situated in the revenue estate of Kot Fatta, Tehsil and District Bhatinda filed a petition under sub-section (1) of Section 7 of the Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925 (in short the Act ) to the appropriate Secretary, Government of Punjab, praying, inter alia, that the said institution be declared as Sikh Gurdwara and properties mentioned in the petition be declared as belonging to the Gurdwara. The appropriate Secretary to the Government of Punjab, in terms of sub-section (3) of Section 7 of the Act published the petition along with rights, titles and interests showing rights, titles and interests belonging to the Gurdwara in question vide notification in the Punjab Government Gazette dated 4