AdminThe Delhi Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (DGPC) pitching for a ban on jokes ridiculing the Sikh community, the Supreme Court on Monday said it would examine with all seriousness the petitions that allege that such jokes were serious violation of human rights of the community members. The first petition in the nature of a public interest […]
The Delhi Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (DGPC) pitching for a ban on jokes ridiculing the Sikh community, the Supreme Court on Monday said it would examine with all seriousness the petitions that allege that such jokes were serious violation of human rights of the community members.
The first petition in the nature of a public interest litigation was filed by advocate Harvinder Chowdhury who had said the jokes on Sardars were being circulated with impunity in the cyber world presenting the members of the Sikh community as persons of “low intellect”.
Such is the ferocity of the jokes and severity of its taunts that many members of Sikh community have changed their names to escape public humiliation. “This is an example of gross human rights violation as a person because of his birth in a community was being treated discriminately,” she argued.
A bench, headed by Chief Justice Tirath Singh Thakur, asked whether “Singh” surname made one get subjected to such ridicule? “If that is so, then I too have a ‘Singh’ in my name,” the CJI said in an attempt to inject some lighter moments during the high-pitched emotional arguments advanced by Chowdhury.
Justice Thakur said: “Isn’t it true that members of the Sikh community are large-hearted and the only community which has the capacity to laugh at itself?”
Chowdhury compared the jokes with “bullying” and said there should be an enactment to stop this rampant violation of human rights of the members of Sikh community.
Jokes on Sardars and the late Khuswant Singh are inseparable as the author published books compiling jokes on Sikh community members. When his name cropped up, Chowdhury said he might be a friend of the CJI but the jokes were certainly not appreciable as they were cracked at someone else’s expense.
The CJI was quick to clarify that Kushwant Singh was a client of his when he was practising in J&K High Court. “Khuswant Singh had allegedly made a statement that lawyers were more interested in making money than justice. So, an advocate had filed a complaint against him for which he was summoned from Mumbai. In that connection he had consulted me.”
The bench directed the registry to list Chowdhury’s petition along with the one filed by the Delhi Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee.
~ Source: Times Of India