An Amritdhari (initiated) Sikh woman candidate from Tarn Taran’s Pheloke village was stopped from appearing for the Rajasthan High Court (Jodhpur) Civil Judge recruitment exam in Jaipur because she was wearing a kirpan (traditional sword). After being denied entry, candidate Gurpreet Kaur approached Sri Akal Takht Sahib (Eternal Throne, AT). AT officiating Jathedar (leader) Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargajj condemned the move and directed the Chairman of the National Commission for Minorities, Iqbal Singh Lalpura, to raise the issue with the Prime Minister and Home Minister. Terming the incident a grave violation of the Indian Constitution—Article 25B—and an act of religious discrimination, Jathedar Gargajj questioned the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Rajasthan Government— which claims to protect Sikh interests—on whether it is genuinely safeguarding Sikh rights. He stressed that Amritdhari Sikhs wear the kirpan as a mandatory article of faith, yet they continue to face repeated discrimination due to their distinct identity. He pointed out that similar discrimination had occurred during last year’s recruitment process in Jaipur and Jodhpur. In an earlier such case on 23 Jun involving Lakhwinder Kaur, Lalpura has appealed to Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal and Rajasthan Governor Haribhau Kisanrao Bagde seeking their urgent intervention in the matter. Meanwhile, a 22-year-old unnamed Sikh medical student has secured a full religious accommodation to wear his kirpan in the US after initially being barred from doing so by university security. The resolution was finalized over the weekend of July 20 by the Sikh Coalition’s legal team, following weeks of advocacy and legal communication. Concurrently, Harshdeep Singh from Talwandi Sabo in Bathinda district, pursuing his medicine degree at Tashkent University’s Medical Academy in Uzbekistan was asked to shave his beard. He maintained his unshorn Sikh appearance and took up the matter with India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). Following MEA’s intervention, Tashkent Medical Academy formally granted Harshdeep permission to attend classes with his beard intact and the discriminatory condition has now been revoked for all Sikh students who will pursue education in the academy (earlier coverage).
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