Kanwaljit Singh

Kanwaljit Singh (also reported as Kamaljit Singh) is a former assistant supervisor in the SGPC's publication department at Gurdwara Ramsar Sahib, Amritsar. His retirement in 2020 is where the missing saroops case first became public, and in 2026 he became its main accused. He is a living person who has not been convicted of anything. What follows is what the Tribune and the Press Trust of India reported, with each side's account attributed.

Key moments

• 31 May 2020: he retired. The Tribune reported that he disclosed missing saroops in the publication records, claimed that around 80 saroops were damaged in an accidental fire at Ramsar Sahib on 19 May 2016, and said he had been pressured to issue saroops without making entries. He was denied retirement benefits.
• 6 July 2020: Ludhiana MLA Balwinder Singh Bains, an SGPC member, complained to Amritsar police about 267 missing saroops. The SGPC said only 14 saroops were damaged in the fire and the rest were misappropriated.
• 24 August 2020: the Akal Takht's probe panel put the misappropriated saroops at 328 and asked the SGPC to act against those responsible.
• 7 December 2025: Punjab Police registered an FIR at C-Division police station, Amritsar, against 16 people, mostly former SGPC officials and staff. The SGPC president has called the matter financial misconduct, not sacrilege.
• 3 or 4 January 2026: the special investigation team arrested him (reports differ by a day). It alleged a direct role in serious irregularities in handling the scriptures, and unauthorised preparation and storage of saroops.
• 18 April 2026: a court in Amritsar granted him default bail because police had not filed a chargesheet after more than 100 days of judicial custody. The Tribune quoted advocate Sarbjit Singh Verka as saying the SGPC had not given the SIT key records despite reminders.

Known for: being the first person to put the shortfall on the public record, and later the case's main accused.