Recently, the Supreme Court heard a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking a ban on websites propagating jokes that portray the Sikh community as “persons of low intellect, stupid, and foolish”. The Court acknowledged the grievances raised by the petitioners, particularly concerning the bullying and humiliation faced by Sikh women and children. Observing the seriousness of the issues, the Court directed the matter to be considered further in eight weeks, allowing the petitioners to consolidate their suggestions.
The matter stems from a 2007 complaint by a Sikh businessman against a publisher for allegedly derogatory content targeting the Sikh community. In 2015, Advocate Harvinder Chowdhury filed the current PIL, arguing that such jokes humiliate and demoralise the Sikh community. She emphasised that the ridicule has led some children to avoid using their traditional surnames like ‘Singh’ and ‘Kaur’to escape mockery. The Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee (DSGMC) and Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) later joined the case, seeking guidelines to curb racial and religious slurs. The petition also highlighted the need to address these jokes under the definition of ‘ragging’ in educational institutions. However, in 2007 a Supreme Court bench expressed its inability to issue such guidelines leaving the matter unresolved.
Advocate Harvinder Chowdhury, representing the petitioners, highlighted specific incidents of severe bullying including one where a Sikh boy took his own life after repeated harassment in school. She stressed the psychological toll these jokes and bullying activities impose on the Sikh community, which numbers over 3 crores in India. Chowdhury also pointed to the unique challenges faced by Sikh women and children, including cyberbullying and ridicule over traditional attire. Two interim applications were also filed, one by the International Sikh Women Council, representing over 30 lakh women, and the other by Guinness Book laureate Dr JP Singh, focusing on the bullying of children. Chowdhury underscored that past committees comprising psychologists, sociologists, and child welfare experts had formulated suggestions to tackle the issue but that the measures had limited success.
The Union government has yet to respond formally. However, it was submitted that certain guidelines had been framed by a committee headed by a former High Court judge, which could provide a framework for addressing the grievances raised by the petitioners.
The bench comprising Justice BR Gavai and Justice KV Viswanathan acknowledged the gravity of the issue and emphasised the need for sensitising children in schools. Justice Viswanathan remarked on the importance of tackling cyberbullying and fostering awareness about the impact of racial and religious slurs. The Court directed the matter to be taken up in eight weeks, allowing time for the petitioners to submit consolidated suggestions. The Court noted that a balanced approach must be adopted to address both the mental health challenges and the broader societal implications of such jokes and bullying activities.
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