Some Are Sick of Sikh Jokes: SC to Decide If They Should Be Banned

Are Sardar jokes just innocent fun? The SC will soon decide whether they should be banned on the Internet.

The Singh Project. (Photo Treatment: The Quint)

Haven’t we been teasing our Sardar friends and colleagues with these jokes since we were kids? Innocent fun, right? Or not?

Kudos to the Sikh community for taking these jokes sportingly for generations. For instance, author Khushwant Singh cracked them himself quite often!

But on 4 January, the Supreme Court will examine if Sardar jokes should be banned online. The apex court agreed to examine a PIL which seeks to ban jokes on Sikhs and Sardars after the petitioner, Sikh lawyer Harvinder Chowdhury, claimed that such jokes are a violation of a Sikh’s right to equality, and an attack on the dignity of the community.

The petition adds that the Ministries of Telecom and Information and Broadcasting should either ban the websites, or direct them to remove such jokes since “they tend to portray the Sardar community as people of low intellect”.

If the court agrees, it would order the government to ensure such jokes are taken off websites and filters are put in place to stop more such jokes on the internet.

Do you think SIkh jokes should be banned? Tell us in your comments below.