No more Santa Banta jokes, South Carolina asked

“We shall give you a detailed hearing after four weeks”.

A bench of Justices T S Thakur and Gopala Gowda initially observed that there are many Sikhs who do not mind these jokes and themselves indulge in cracking them.

Apart from the fact that there are already many things that “hurt our sentiments”, there is the thought that if the South Carolina upholds this PIL, what then? “Can we post this case before the judge?” the court asked. “The community is known for great sense of humour and they also enjoy such jokes”, the bench said.

Harvinder Chowdhury, a Sikh herself, argued that people form her community are ridiculed because of these jokes.

Listed at item 48, when the matter was called, petitioner Harvinder Chowdhury, a practising advocate, appeared in person and informed the bench that she required a few further time to file certain volumes of documents in the matter. “When he (Mr Modi) goes to Punjab he will say the Sikhs are intelligent people”, Justice Thakur remarked, amidst laughter in the court hall. But the petitioner said it was not necessary.

Harvinder alleged she was attacked with a burning tyre in Delhi during the 1984 attacks on Sikhs and suffered injuries to her left arm before a Hindu family saved her. “Because of such jokes which I take very seriously, there is always fight between me and my husband’s family”. For the first time, in a case like this, it would the Supreme Court answering the validity of the query on Friday.

“Even Sikhs may object to your petition”.

“A writ of mandamus be issued to the respondent to ban websites 5,000 which spread jokes on Sardars/Sikhs projecting them as unintelligent, stupid, idiot, foolish, naive, inept not well versed with English…on the ground that it violates fundamental right to life and to live with dignity guaranteed under article 21 of the Constitution”, the plea said.