England,13-02-23(Press Ki Taquat): The entry of Sikh lawyers in the court or tribunal of England and Wales has been banned. It is being argued that going to the court with Kirpan is illegal and it will be dangerous. Sikh lawyer Jaskirat Singh Gulshan has challenged the security policy of the Court and Tribunal related to Kirpan in a matter which was heard this week by the Lord Chief Justice and Deputy Chief Justice of the Court of Appeal. Practicing or Amritdhari Sikhs who practice in court always carry Kirpan with them. Gulshan launched a legal battle after feeling humiliated at Ealing Magistrates’ Court, where he was barred from entering the court until he removed his kirpan in 2021. He was carrying a kirpan with a total length of eight inches with a blade length of four inches which according to him is valid. According to prevailing guidelines, Sikhs are allowed to carry a kirpan in a court or tribunal building if its overall length does not exceed six inches and the length of the blade does not exceed five inches. There, according to Gulshan, this scale is not correct, because in a kirpan with a four-inch blade, two inches cannot be enough for the handle and sheath. According to The Guardian, Gulshan’s lawyer Parminder Saini told the Lord Chief Justice and Deputy Chief Justice of the Court of Appeal that a Sikh lawyer could not hope to practice in court because he was effectively barred from violating his rights. He has been barred from appearing in court.
It is illegal to go to court with a kirpan in the England court, the entry of Sikh lawyers has been banned
