The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to consider whether “Sardarji (Santa banta) jokes” ridiculing the Sikh community as unintelligent, stupid and idiot can be banned from 5,000 odd websites in the internet.
A bench of justices T.S. Thakur and Justices A.K. Sikri and R. Banumathi told the petitioner, Harvinder Chaudhry, “Since the Sikh community is behind you, we have to consider the plea seriously.” She pointed out that the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) had already filed a petition but this was not listed for hearing on Monday. Several other Sikh bodies had expressed their support to her and were in the process of approaching the court, she said.
The CJI observed that the Sikh community did not mind such jokes as it was large-hearted and had the capacity to laugh at itself. He asked the petitioner as to who would identify the jokes that were intended to show Sardars in bad light and make fun of them as people with low intellect.
The petitioner suggested the Surpeme court should at least issue some directives on the lines of the Visakha guidelines meant for preventing sexual harassment of women at work places. Sikh children had become a subject of ridicule in schools and this should be stopped to protect their human rights, she pleaded. The bench said it would hear all the petitions on the issue together and adjourned the hearing.
In her petition, she urged the apex court to ensure forthwith a ban on the 5,000 odd websites targeting the community with funny jokes against the Sikhs projecting them “unintelligent”, “stupid”, “idiot”, “foolish”, “naïve”, “inept”, nor well-versed with English language. She said that jokes apart, the community has been subjected to racial abuse and constant ridicule not only in India but various other foreign countries.
On account of the constant fun made at the community through jokes by these websites.
The petitioner regretted that though Sikhs held 12 O’clock as a time of great significance, the jokes often say that the community members’ brains do not function during the period. Her two daughters and sons also hesitate to use the prefix of Kaur or Singh in the surnames to avoid ridicule,” she said.
