Sardar jokes: Supreme Court will take up SGPC’s ban plea

The Supreme Court on Thursday indicated that it will examine the manner in which it can prevent circulation of sardarji jokes in the websites. A bench of Chief Justice T.S. Thakur and Justice Uday Lalit told counsel Satinder Singh Gulati that when you represent Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) and say that a community is being bullied by such jokes, the court will certainly examine it.

The CJI told the counsel, “We have asked counsel in two other petitions to indicate the areas which we can address in our order. We will certainly stop commercial exploitation.” The bench directed that all the petitions be listed for further hearing on April 5.

The counsel said 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.

He said there are many instances when Sardars face ridicule even in foreign countries about their lack of knowledge in English.

In its petition the SGPC said in the past it has filed complaints against such jokes, which are demeaning the Sikhs and portraying the Sikhs as funny and idiot characters.

It is not out of place here to mention that Sikhs have been complaining against such jokes, which humiliates the Sikh community at large.

The issue of Sikh jokes has been raised from time to time, not only by common Sikhs, but even by the constitutional body, like the National Commission of Minorities. Thus, this issue requires consideration and adjudication by the Apex Court of India to decide and resolve this issue, and to set the guidelines, deciding as to the limits of humour at the cost of a depiction of a community in a bad taste, which leads to humiliation of the community at large and/or of the individuals belonging to the said community.

It said this Court will also have to decide, whether such acts of circulation of funny jokes on Sikhs, amounts to violation of their fundamental right to live with dignity under Article 21 of the constitution; their right of equality under Article 14 of the Constitution; and their right to profess and propagate their religion, as enshrined under Article 25 of the Constitution.

It said as many as 5000 websites are dedicated to Sardarji jokes. Everyone has the right to live with dignity and this trend of labelling them low is definitely derogatory of their self-respect and sought a direction to prevent circulation of such jokes.