AMBALA: An initiated female Sikh aspirant of judicial services,
Lakhwinder Kaur
of Ambala Cantonment, alleged that she faced discrimination and
harassment
when she went to appear in the preliminary examination for direct recruitment as civil judge conducted by Rajasthan High Court in Jodhpur.
Lakhwinder Kaur natively belongs to Salarheri village of Ambala district, and she works as an assistant professor at a private law college in Rupnagar.
She is also pursuing PhD last year from Panjab University, Chandigarh.
Sharing her ordeal with the media in Ambala, Lakhwinder Kaur said, “I went to appear in the preliminary judicial exam for recruitment as civil judge at a center namely Shri Sumer Mahila Mahavidyalaya in Jodhpur on June 23, 2024. This exam was conducted by Rajasthan High Court at Jodhpur. As I was wearing my Kakaars (Sikh symbols of faith) Kirpan and Karra, I was asked to leave the queue and approach the on-duty officials, who asked me to remove my Kakaars if I wanted to appear in the exam.”
Lakhwinder said she told the exam officials to give this in writing that they will not allow her entry for the exam as she was wearing Sikh Kakaar, but they did not do so. She said she also tried to inform them about the Sikh Kakaars, being part of her faith to be kept on body throughout the life, but to no avail.
“I was told that they will not allow me to appear in the exam with Kirpan and Karra, as the on-duty exam officials claimed that it was mentioned in the guidelines. However, no such explicit mention was made in the guidelines. When I questioned the exam officials, they said extra items were prohibited. The officials themselves presumed Kirpan and Karra as prohibited items under the extra category. This is a clear violation of Article 25 of the Constitution of India, which gives members of Sikh community the right to wear Kirpan and freedom of religion”, said Lakhwinder Kaur.
Lakhwinder also alleged that the exam officials harassed her and put pressure on her to remove Kirpan and Karra if she wanted to sit in the exam. She said the exam had started but the officials kept arguing with her and finally, she was forced to remove Kirpan and Karra for entry to the exam hall. “By the time I took entry, some of the exam time had passed and I felt immense mental pressure due to the behaviour of the exam officials. I could not properly concentrate on the exam despite being well prepared, as my religious sentiments were hurt seriously and I could not complete the exam. I left the exam hall crying and went straight to the local police station”, said Lakhwinder Kaur.
She said she lodged a complaint with the local police in Jodhpur, but till date, no action has been taken.
Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal also took note of this incident and posted on his X, “It is indeed shocking that another Amritdhari woman advocate - Bibi Lakhwinder Kaur was refused entry into a centre of the Rajasthan Judiciary exam on June 23 as she was wearing Sikh articles of faith. Earlier Bibi Armanjot Kaur was barred from sitting in the examination. It is very distressing that Lakhwinder Kaur was forced to remove her ‘Kara’ and ‘Kirpan’ before entering the examination hall. The manner in which the fundamental right to practise one’s faith is being violated by the Rajasthan government is condemnable.”
“Rajasthan chief minister @BhajanlalBjp’s delay in reacting to this affront against the #Sikh community and taking strict action against the erring examination staff has hurt the sentiments of the entire community. Sikhs should not be made to feel like second class citizens in their own country for which they have made the maximum sacrifices”, further said Sukhbir Singh.
SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami also called it extremely painful and unfair that the government has not taken any action against those who have hurt the religious sentiments of a number of Amritdhari Sikh candidates during a judicial exam in Jodhpur.
Dhami said after the case of Armanjot Kaur of Jalandhar, now the case of Lakhwinder Kaur has once again brought to light the discrimination against initiated Sikhs in Rajasthan.
Dhami said that the Rajasthan government has the responsibility to take strict action against the guilty officials, but it is sad that even after the continuous objection by the Sikh community, the government is ignorant and not fulfilling its duty.
SGPC president said that this arbitrary action is a move to challenge the constitution of the country, for which action should be taken by the government against the guilty officials under the charges of hurting religious sentiments and violating the Constitution of India.
Dhami also informed that the SGPC has earlier in the case of Armanjot Kaur and other Sikh candidates, wrote letters while raising objection and seeking action against guilty officials, to Chief Justice and Registrar (Examination) of Rajasthan High Court Jodhpur, Union Law and Justice Minister, Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Chairman of National and State Minorities Commissions and now the case of Lakhwinder Kaur will also be taken up.
Call meeting of Sikh Jathebandis: Dhami to Jathedar
SGPC President also appealed to the Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht Sahib to convene a special meeting of all Sikh Jathebandis for a serious discussion on such anti-Sikh incidents that come to light from time to time so that the governments can be given a strong message.
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