Amritsar: Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) President Harjinder Singh Dhami on Saturday welcomed the ruling in favour of Sikhs by the Queensland High Court of Australia in a case related to ‘kirpan’, one of five religious symbols Sikhs carry as part of their faith.
Dhami said the ‘kirpan’ is an important part of the five Sikh ‘kakaars’, which the Amritdhari (initiated) Sikhs are committed to always keeping on their body.
“It is good that the Queensland court has set an example by solving this issue related to religious freedom of Sikhs in Australia as per the sentiments of the Sikh community,” said the SGPC President in a statement.
Appreciating the efforts of the Sikh family and the Sikh sangat of Australia in pursuing the case, he expressed hope that the Sikh community of every country will vigorously pursue the issues related to Sikhs across the globe.
Notably, in the past, under a discriminatory law, the Queensland state government in Australia banned Sikh students from wearing ‘kirpan’ in schools, which was challenged in court by the Sikh community of Australia.
In this case, the court has overturned the ban on Sikh ‘kirpan’ in the school as unconstitutional under the Racial Discrimination Act, with which now the initiated Sikh students will be able to wear ‘kirpan’ as per the conduct of their faith.
