State govt reissues order: Sikh candidates can wear kada, kirpan
In a letter issued July 29, Rajasthan's home department cited its 2019 circular and said, "Considering freedom of religion granted by the Constitution and the provisions described in the circular, as well as the interpretation provided by the Delhi high court, it is directed that Sikh candidates be allowed to wear religious symbols such as kada, kirpan, and turban, during various competitive examinations conducted by the Rajasthan Public Service Commission, Rajasthan Staff Selection Board, and other departments… while maintaining public order.
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Last Sunday candidate Gurpreet Kaur, from Tarn Taran district, was turned away from an exam centre for Rajasthan Judicial Services recruitment as she was wearing her "kada" and "kirpan". Anger erupted in Punjab over this, and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) — the apex representative body of Sikhs — called it an "attack on Sikh identity and faith". A woman lawyer moved the Punjab and Haryana high court seeking directions for circulation of instructions to permit the wearing of "kadas" and "kirpans" by members of the Sikh community at all public places.
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SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to "intervene directly to put an end to this painful chain of events in the country". Two days later, Rajasthan's govt issued a letter asking all departments to let Sikh candidates wear their articles of faith.
"Rajasthan State Minorities Commission has been informed that a Sikh candidate was asked to remove the 'kada' during a judicial service examination and was denied entry to the examination for not doing so.
The commission has taken cognisance of other similar incidents. Due to the ineffective implementation of the circular, such incidents have caused discontent within the Sikh community," says the letter.
"General instructions may be issued for Sikh candidates to report to the examination centre one hour in advance. If any suspicious device is found in articles of faith, it should not be allowed into the examination hall," it says.
Badal welcomed the Rajasthan govt decision and posted on X, "I am grateful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rajasthan chief minister Bhajan Lal for responding positively and promptly to our request to ensure baptised Sikhs are not discriminated against in any way." He again requested that the Sikh candidate and others like her be allowed a special opportunity to take the exam.
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