Can’t ban ‘sardar’ jokes: Indian SC

Can’t ban ‘sardar’ jokes: Indian SC

New Dehlhi (Web Desk): The Indian Supreme Court refused on Tuesday to issue any direction on a petition seeking to ban jokes on Sikhs, saying it will be impossible for courts to implement such order.

According to Indian media, earlier court decided to give guidelines to regulate/ban Sikh jokes in circulation on social media.

An apex court bench comprising Justices Dipak Misra and R. Banumathi said courts cannot pass any regulations asking people to behave in a “particular manner in public,” and even if they do, “Who will enforce them on the streets?”.

A committee was formed to give suggestions on how such regulation can be made during the last hearing. Earlier the former Chief Justice T.S. Thakur headed bench which sought court intervention to curb or ban sardar jokes in circulation on social media and on the internet.

Advocate Harvinder Choudhry submitted the petition that perception plays a big role at various levels of decision making, be it at the level of executive, in the bureaucracy and even in the judiciary. And such stereo type approaches creates a sense od dishonor and aggression among the Sikhs and other Hindu communities. If this circulation of Sardar jokes be allowed to continue, depicting Sikhs as naïve, inept, etc. etc. then, it will also lead to undermine the contributions made by Sikhs for the independence of India.

After a brief hearing, the bench adjourned the hearing and posted the case for March 27 to pass a formal order.