HUKAM SINGH (SPEAKER)
Hukam Singh (30.8.1895 – 27.5.1983), son of Bhai Sham Singh, was born at Montgomery (now Sahiwal, Pakistan). After finishing his school education at Montgomery, he joined Khalsa College Amritsar. Later, he joined Law College Lahore. In 1921, he started legal practice at Montgomery.
During the Gurdwara Reform movement, he made active participation. He was selected member of the first S.G.P.C. on November 15, 1920. On October 12, 1923, when the S.G.P.C. was outlawed, he was arrested. He was released in 1926. Again in 1926 he was elected to the S.G.P.C. (He remained a member of the S.G.P.C. till 1941).
In 1928 he presided over the Sikh Educational Conference held at Montgomery. In 1943, he was elected president of the Montgomery Bar Association.
After partition, he was appointed as a Judge of the Kapurthala High Court. In 1950, he was elected the president of the Shiromani Akali Dal. On March 10, 1951, he presided over the Akali Conference held at Ludhiana.
In 1952, he was elected to the Lok Sabha as an Akali nominee. On March 20, 1956, he was elected as the Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha. In 1957 and in 1962, he was re-elected to the Lok Sabha (as a Congress candidate). On March 15, 1960, the Akali Dal asked all the Akali legislatures to resign from Congress and form a separate Akali group. Hukam Singh was one of those who refused to obey the command of the Dal.
In 1962 he became Speaker of the Lok Sabha. On October 1, 1965, he was appointed as the Chairman of a 22-member committee of the M.P.s to give opinion about the demand of Punjabi Suba. The Committee supported the formation of Punjabi Suba.
On December 5, 1966, Fateh Singh announced a fast unto death for return of Chandigarh and Punjabi speaking areas to the Punjab as well as some other issues.
Fateh Singh announced that if his demands were not accepted by December 27, 1966, he would immolate himself. Hukam Singh played an important role to bring an end to the ‘drama’ (Fateh Singh would never had dared to immolate himself).
On April 16, 1967, he was appointed as the Governor of Rajasthan.
In 1973, he was selected as the President of the Singh Sabha Shatabadi Committee. Hukam Singh started publication of Spokesman Weekly in August 1951. Hukam Singh wrote a few books too, including The Sikh Case, The Problems of the Sikhs, Russia As i Saw It, Russia Today. Hukam Singh visited several countries including Russia, Australia, England, Mongolia, West Germany, U.S.A., Philippines etc. He died at Delhi, in 1983.
(Dr Harjinder Singh Dilgeer)