2 Gurdwaras mortgaged in Canada over loan of ₹102 crore:Court bars taking new loans or selling assets; guarantor of Punjabi origin under suspicion

Two gurdwaras in Canada were mortgaged as collateral for loans. A loan limit of ₹102 crore was sanctioned against the properties of the Ontario-based Sikh Spiritual Centre Toronto and Nanaksar Thath Ishar Darbar. After this, ₹82 crore was released, but the instalments were not repaid. The interest alone on the debt has now reached ₹88 crore. After the matter reached the court, the court barred both gurdwaras from taking out new loans or selling their properties. The firm of Rajwinder Grewal, a former Punjabi-origin MP and lawyer, has come under suspicion in the case. He had acted as the guarantor for the loan. The loan was taken in 2025 at an interest rate of 15%. As the money was not repaid on time, the company increased the interest rate to 24%, leaving both gurdwaras unable to repay the loan. An investigation is under way into why the managements of the two gurdwaras took such a huge loan. The purpose of the loan has not yet been clarified by the managements of either gurdwara. Lending firm files petition
A civil lawsuit has been filed against both gurdwaras and the former MP’s guarantor law firm for failing to repay loans worth more than 1.3 billion Canadian dollars (approximately ₹88.9 crore). The petition was filed by the lending companies in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. The role of former Canadian Liberal MP and lawyer Rajwinder Grewal and his law firm, RSG Law Professional Corporation, is also under scrutiny in the matter. Loan limit: 15 million Canadian dollars
According to documents filed in court, the lending companies SSMT Management Inc. (SSMT) and Oculus Mortgage GP Inc. provided Sikh Spiritual Centre Toronto with a loan of C$10 million (approximately ₹68.4 crore) on 25 April 2025. The loan limit was later increased to C$15 million (approximately ₹102.6 crore) on 20 May. As security for the loan, the property of the Nanaksar Gurdwara in Brampton was to be included. The lender alleges that approximately ₹82.1 crore has been disbursed so far, but because the instalments were not paid, the accrued interest has exceeded ₹88.9 crore. The loan initially carried an annual interest rate of 15%, which was later increased to 24%. Interest of ₹2.5 crore is accruing every month on the full amount. Dispute Escalates Over Failure to Provide Security for Gurdwara Property
The main reason for the dispute is the failure to provide legal security over the gurdwara’s property. The lender claims that Davinder Khatra, the owner and operator of RSG Law, was responsible for registering a second charge on the property of the Brampton gurdwara, but the paperwork was never completed, leaving the security to be provided against the loan in limbo. Sale of Brampton gurdwara property barred
In view of the seriousness of the case, Ontario Superior Court Judge Frederick L. Myers ordered on 11 September that the Brampton gurdwara property could neither be sold nor used to secure a new loan until the next hearing in January. However, statements by lawyers for the two sides contradict each other regarding the current status of the lawsuit. Simon Bieber, the lawyer for former MP Grewal, said the case had been settled. Maria Nymark, the lawyer for the lending company, made it clear that the case had not yet been settled and that the legal battle was continuing. Suspicious transactions between the two gurdwaras also come to light
During the entire sequence of events, suspicious financial transactions between RSG Law’s trust account and the two gurdwaras have also come to light. According to records of the Law Society’s proceedings, two instalments of 2,50,000 Canadian dollars (approximately ₹1.71 crore) were paid from RSG Law’s accounts to the Toronto gurdwara in April, while 2,50,000 Canadian dollars (approximately ₹1.71 crore) was also paid to the Brampton gurdwara. In addition, evidence has emerged that 2,50,000 Canadian dollars (approximately ₹1.71 crore) from the disputed funds was transferred to the Toronto gurdwara’s account in a separate cheque-fraud case involving the Bank of Nova Scotia.