Plea against notification allowing Sikhs to carry Kirpans on flights withdrawn
New Delhi [India], August 22: The plea challenging the notification allowing Sikhs to carry 'Kirpans' on board has been withdrawn.
Meanwhile, last week the court issued notice to central government and other in the same matter.
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The petitioner who withdraws the plea stated that, he wanted to withdraw the petition due to some pressure.
According to the plea, notification said that Sikhs shall have exceptional regulatory sanction to carry Kirpans on person whilst on board any civilian flight in India that is operating in India. The notification was issued on March 4, 2022 by the Director General, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, Government of India.
The petition stated that it was notified that "a Kirpan may be carried only by a Sikh passenger, on his person, provided the length of its blade does not exceeds 6 inches and total length of Kirpan does not exceeds 9 inches. It is allowed while traveling by air on Indian aircraft within India only.
It was also stated that it was notified that " this exception shall be for Sikh passengers only and no stakeholders or its employees at any airport (including Sikhs) and working in any terminal, domestic or international, shall be allowed to carry Kirpan.
" By means of a corrigendum of March 12, 2022 to the impugned notification the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security rescinded this bar thereby giving regulatory permission to Sikhs to carry Kirpans on their person while working at any domestic or international airport terminal in India.
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It was also stated that the exception is not only for Indian citizens. The impugned notification do not distinguish applicability to Sikh Indian citizens and Sikh from other nations can carry Kirpans on person whilst travelling in any Indian plane on domestic routes in India though the laws of their respective countries may prohibit carrying of Kirpans in civilian flights there.
-PTC News with ANI inputs
