Sikh temple sues ex-priest accused of stealing donations

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This article was published 26/03/2025 (195 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The former head priest of a Sikh temple in Winnipeg is accused of stealing more than $1.5 million in donations from worshippers, which it is alleged he used to buy a home and send money overseas.

Sukhwinder Singh, 51, is named in a lawsuit filed this month by Gurdwara Kalgidhar Darbar Inc. that seeks a judgment of $420,000, plus damages.

Court papers allege Winnipeg police investigators, who arrested Singh in November 2024, seized about $420,000 in stolen cash from his personal quarters at the temple.

Singh, who was the head priest of the temple in northwest Winnipeg from 2011 to 2024 before he was fired over the allegations, was charged with theft over $5,000 and two counts of possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000. His next court appearance on the criminal charges is in May.

In accordance with Sikh custom, the court documents say, Singh was expected to live a simple lifestyle devoted to his duties as head priest, with his room and board, meals and transportation covered by the religious organization. He was given a modest salary of $12,000 a year.

He also handled cash donations and was expected to record the money and hand it over to the religious organization.

The court documents allege that a volunteer saw Singh handling large quantities of cash “in a suspicious manner” in September 2024.

“A subsequent review of security camera footage revealed the defendant removing cash from donation boxes at the temple,” reads the claim.

“The video footage depicts the defendant opening the donation box, dumping the cash onto a sheet, and then bundling it up.”

The organization reported the suspected theft to police. The cash found by police was mainly in $100, $50 and $20 bills and was hidden in plastic boxes wrapped in bed sheets.

The organization alleges that in addition to the $420,000, Singh misappropriated as much as $1.5 to $2 million in donations over the years.

The gurdwara’s vice-president and director, Chamkaur Gill, said in an affidavit the temple is a registered charity and heavily relies on donations. The court documents say its filings with the Canada Revenue Agency have been compromised.

“This unfortunate situation has been very challenging for the board members and caused significant damage to Kalgidhar and its congregation,” Gill said in the affidavit.

“The head priest of a Sikh organization is a position of honour and held in very high regard in our faith, and is expected to project a model of integrity in accordance with the fundamental tenets of Sikhism.”

Gill said he fears congregants have lost trust in the temple and that officials must make a committed effort to recover as much of the donations as possible.

Singh used the cash for his own benefit, the court documents claim, by buying a house in Winnipeg for about $332,000 in 2019, and to send money to people in India.

He owns the Winnipeg property outright and has no mortgage.

The religious organization asserts that he could not have made the purchase with his own money given his meagre salary.

The lawsuit wants a judge to order the property to be held in trust for the plaintiff and to prevent Singh from selling or transferring it before a decision on the lawsuit is delivered. That motion is scheduled to be heard April 1.

Singh was born in India and the temple went to significant effort and spent $20,000 to sponsor him to gain permanent resident status in 2021, the court filings say.

erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca