Archive · 9 Jan 2026
SGPC Controversy: Kohli's Arrest Raises Questions on Badal Links
A man named Satinder Singh Kohli, who is close to a politician named Sukhbir Singh Badal, was arrested.
People are asking questions because Kohli's company was in charge of checking the accounts of a group that manages Sikh temples, called the SGPC.
They say Kohli didn't do his job well, and important religious books went missing.
Also, Kohli's company was given the right to show a TV channel called PTC Punjabi in Canada.
Some people think Kohli and Badal are connected, and the government might be trying to find problems with Badal through Kohli.
The SGPC says they will get their money back from Kohli, but some people don't believe they will do it.
Satinder Singh Kohli, a chartered accountant and close associate of Sukhbir Singh Badal, was arrested in connection with the case of 328 missing Birs of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib.
Kohli's firm, S S Kohli & Associates, was hired by the SGPC for internal audits in 2009 and was removed in 2020 due to alleged negligence.
The SGPC ordered a 75% recovery of payments from Kohli's firm, amid claims that over Rs 10 crore had been paid in 11 years.
Kohli is alleged to be the director of Gurbaz Punjabi Media Inc, a Canada-based media company with exclusive rights to distribute PTC Punjabi in Canada.
The SGPC and PTC officials have denied knowledge of Kohli's involvement with Gurbaz Punjabi Media Inc, and Sukhbir Singh Badal has not responded to queries about his alleged links with Kohli.
- Who
- Satinder Singh Kohli, a chartered accountant and close associate of Sukhbir Singh Badal, and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC)
- What
- Controversy over Kohli's arrest and his alleged links to Sukhbir Singh Badal, including the missing Birs of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib and the distribution rights of PTC Punjabi in Canada
- When
- Kohli was arrested last week, with the SGPC hiring his firm in 2009 and removing it as internal auditor in 2020
- Where
- The events primarily took place in Punjab, India, with connections to Canada through the distribution rights of PTC Punjabi
- Why
- Questions are being raised about how the SGPC allowed PTC channel to broadcast the Gurbani in Canada through a company allegedly linked to Kohli, and the mishandling of the Birs
- Satinder Singh Kohli
- Chartered accountant and close associate of Sukhbir Singh Badal
- SGPC
- Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee
- PTC Punjabi
- TV channel associated with Sukhbir Singh Badal's family
- Gurbaz Punjabi Media Inc
- Canada-based media company with exclusive rights to distribute PTC Punjabi in Canada
- Missing Birs
- 328 copies of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib
- SGPC Payment
- Over Rs 10 crore paid to Kohli's firm in 11 years
- SGPC Audit
- Kohli's firm removed as internal auditor in 2020
- Akal Takht Directive
- Ordered 75% recovery of payments from Kohli's firm