Indian Supreme Court says can’t ban ‘sardar’ jokes

NEW DELHI: The Indian Supreme Court on Tuesday which earlier decided to give guidelines to regulate/ban Sikh jokes in circulation on social media, said that courts cannot “lay down moral guidelines” for citizens and expressed their doubts on its enforceability if they were to do so.

A bench comprising Justices Dipak Misra and R. Banumathi said courts cannot pass any regulations asking people to behave in a “particular manner in public,” and even if they do, “Who will enforce them on the streets?”.

The earlier bench headed by former Chief Justice T.S. Thakur had entertained several PILs which sought court intervention to curb or ban sardar jokes in circulation on social media and on the internet. A committee was formed to give suggestions on how such regulation can be made.

Advocate Harvinder Choudhry, the main petitioner submitted that perception plays a big role at various levels of decision making, be it at the level of executive, in the bureaucracy and even in the judiciary. If this circulation of Sardar jokes be allowed to continue, depicting Sikhs as naïve, inept, etc. etc. then, since it creates a stereotype image of Sikhs, it is also leading to undermine the contributions made by Sikhs for the independence of India.