The Supreme Court of India on Tuesday refused to order a ban on jokes on the Sikh community citing complexities involved in the implementation of such an order if issued.
While hearing a petition filed by a woman Sikh lawyer, Harwinder Chaudhary, the top court said it cannot “lay moral guidelines” for citizens and tell them how to conduct themselves in public.
Certain things are collective and certain things are individual. Some people laugh when they hear jokes, some are reserved. How can we issue guidelines as to how people should conduct themselves?
However, the court said it could pass an order against the criminal dissemination of such jokes, Hindustan Times reported.
“Sikhs are a highly respected community but you’re bringing it down by fighting litigation to ban these jokes,” the court said.
“Certain things are collective and certain things are individual. Some people laugh when they hear jokes, some are reserved. How can we issue guidelines as to how people should conduct themselves?” the court observed.
The supreme court is expected to pass an order on a bunch of petitions on the issue on March 27.
Advocate Choudary’s petition demanded a ban on jokes portraying the Sikh community in a negative light and sought to prosecute websites disseminating such jokes.
In her petition, advocate Chaudhary had referred to the suicide of a boy who was upset by the lampooning of the community and said she herself had been a victim of discrimination and suffered humiliation on account of such jokes.
She contended that such jokes were a violation of Sikh’s rights to equality and an attack on their dignity.
