The Akal Takht, the supreme temporal body of the Sikhs, on Monday ordered Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal and other leaders of the party to clean washrooms and kitchens of Amritsar’s Golden Temple as punishment for religious misconduct.

Giani Raghbir Singh, the jathedar or head of the Akal Takht, directed the working committee of the party to accept Sukhbir Singh Badal’s resignation. He also announced the formation of a panel to initiate a membership drive and start the process of electing party leadership, the newspaper reported.

Sukhbir Singh Badal was the deputy chief minister of Punjab between 2007 and 2017.

The punishment was imposed for alleged links that the Shiromani Akali Dal leadership had with Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh despite his excommunication by the Sikh community in 2007. The party leadership had also allegedly facilitated his pardon by the Akal Takht in 2015 during the tenure of former Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh.

The leadership of the Shiromani Akali Dal also faced criticism for allegedly not addressing important matters of the community when the party was in power between 2007 and 2017. This included incidents of sacrilege and police firing at Kotkapura.

The panel of five senior priests led by Giani Raghbir Singh also revoked the Fakhar-e-Quam, or Pride of the Community, title previously awarded to Sukhbir Singh Badal’s father Parkash Singh Badal, who was the chief minister between 2007 and 2017.

The jathedar said that those being punished were unfit to lead the Sikh community, The Indian Express reported.

The jathedar also asked factions of the Shiromani Akali Dal to stop fighting among themselves and rebuild the organisation.

As part of the punishment, Sukhbir Singh Badal and senior leaders of the Shiromani Akali Dal were also ordered to serve in the community kitchen, perform Nitnem – daily Sikh prayers – and recite Sikh scripture Sukhmani Sahib.

Considering health concerns, Sukhbir Singh Badal and Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa were ordered to serve as gatekeepers at the Golden Temple for two days. He is to wear the traditional attire worn by servants and hold spears as a mark of humility.

Photos posted by news agency ANI on Tuesday showed Sukhbir Singh Badal serving the religious punishment he was given and wearing a placard around his neck as part of the sentence.

During the trial held by the jathedar, Badal admitted to inviting Giani Gurbachan Singh, the jathedar at the time, to his residence before he granted a pardon to Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.