S.S.Dulat, J.

1. The Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925 , was enacted to provide for the better administration of certain Sikh Gurdwaras in the Punjab. It set up committees of management for different Gurdwaras and also a Control Board commonly known as Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee which was given the control and general superintendence over all committees appointed under the Act. The Central Board was itself a committee in respect of certain Gurdwaras. The members of this Board were in the main elected, but there were also certain members by virtue of their office and a provision was also made for co-opting certain members resident in India but outside the Punjab. One necessary qualification for the membership of this Board was the professing of Sikh religion. There were also certain disqualifications contained in Sections 45 and 46 of the Act, such as being of unsound mind, inability to read and write Gurmukhi and taking alcoholic drinks. Similarly, qualifications and disqualifications were mentioned in the Act for being an elector.

2. The Punjab Act, of course, did not apply to the Sikh Gurdwaras in the Indian States which later came to form the Union of Pepsu. In one o