during the
Western Desert Campaign in World War II. The Sikh soldier is wearing a
dastār, his non-Sikh companion is wearing a
Brodie steel helmet In modern times, there have been conflicts between Sikhs—especially those outside India—and laws which conflict with always wearing a
dastār. Sikh soldiers refused to wear helmets during World War I and World War II. Many Sikhs have refused to remove the
dastār even in jails. Sikh scholar and social activist
Bhai Randhir Singh underwent a fast to be able to wear a
dastār in prison. In the UK in 1982, the headmaster of a private school refused to admit an orthodox Sikh as a pupil unless he removed the
dastār and cut his hair. This led to the long legal battle,
Mandla v. Dowell Lee, a case which contributed to the creation of the legal term "
ethno-religious". In Canada in 1990, the
Supreme Court of Canada ruled that Baltej Singh Dhillon, a
Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer, should be allowed to wear a
dastār while on duty. See the case of ''Grant v. Canada A.G (1995) 125 D.L.R. (4th) 556 (F.C.A.) aff'd (1994) 81 F.T.R. 195 (F.C.T.D.) (Reed J.)
where the court said that the Sikh RCMP officer had a constitutional right to wear his dastār'' and that the government's decision to accommodate him was required to protect freedom of religion: "The defendants and the intervenors, particularly the able argument of Ms. Chotalia for the Alberta Civil Liberties Association, turn the plaintiffs' argument respecting discrimination on its head. They argue that the Commissioner's decision was designed to prevent discrimination occurring to Khalsa Sikhs. As such they argue that that decision offends none of the provisions of the Charter, indeed that it is required by section 15 of the Charter." para 103 Shirish Chotalia, Alberta lawyer, represented the Sikh Society of Calgary, the Alberta Civil Liberties Association, and the Friends of the Sikhs, pro bono. In the United States in 2002, Jasjit Singh Jaggi, a Sikh traffic policeman employed with the
New York Police Department, was forced to leave his job because he insisted on wearing a
dastār on duty. He petitioned with the New York Human Rights Commission, and in 2004 a US judge ruled that he should be reinstated. In
France in 2004, the Sikh community protested against the introduction of a law prohibiting the display of any religious symbols in state-run schools. The
Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee urged the French Government to review the bill, stating that the ban would have grave consequences for the Sikhs. The
Government of India discussed the matter with the French officials, who stated that an exception for turbaned Sikh boys in French public schools was not possible. In 2007, the
Canadian government introduced new procedures for accommodation of Sikhs in regard to passport photos, driver licensing, and other legal licensing. This bill was also supported by the Sikh Council of Canada. In April 2009, Capt. Kamaljit Singh Kalsi and 2nd Lt. Tejdeep Singh Rattan challenged a U.S. Army order that they remove their turbans and shave their beards. In March 2010, Rattan became the first Sikh to graduate Army Officer School at Fort Sam Houston since the exemption was eliminated in 1984; a waiver was granted for his religion. Kalsi will also attend basic training. In Ireland, Ravinder Singh Oberoi applied to become a member of the voluntary police force
Garda Reserve but was not permitted to wear a
dastār in 2007. He unsuccessfully claimed discrimination on grounds of race and religion; the High Court ruled in 2013 on a preliminary issue that he could not claim under employment equality legislation as he was not an employee and was not in vocational training. But in 2019, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris granted exemptions for uniform alterations based on the Garda uniform code to allow officers from some ethnic communities to wear clothing related to their religion. Sikh members of the
Canadian Armed Forces are permitted to wear the
dastār on all
orders of dress within the forces, although the unit commander retains the right to order for adjustments should a conflict arise with operational safety. The colour of the
dastār for Sikh service members within the
Canadian Army, and the
Royal Canadian Air Force are required to match the colours of their unit's headgear. Sikhs serving within the
Royal Canadian Navy are required to wear a white
dastār when
peaked caps are worn, and a black
dastār when berets are worn. The unit's cap badge must also be worn on the
dastār. Additionally, some units in the Canadian Armed Forces add a ribbon matching their regimental colours, worn crossed behind the cap badge and tucked in at the back.
Helmet exemption In several parts of the world, Sikh riders are exempted from legal requirements to wear a helmet when riding a motorcycle or a bicycle, which cannot be done without removing the
dastār. These places include
India,
Nepal and the Canadian provinces of
Alberta,
British Columbia,
Ontario and
Manitoba.
Singapore,
Thailand, and the
United Kingdom. In
Queensland, Australia, riders of bicycles and mobility scooters are exempt from wearing an approved helmet, but not motorcyclists. In 2008, Baljinder Badesha, a Sikh man living in Brampton,
Ontario,
Canada, lost a court case in which he challenged a $110 ticket received for wearing a
dastār instead of a helmet while riding his motorcycle. In September 2016 a court in
Quebec, Canada, ruled that Sikh truck drivers working at the
Port of Montreal must wear
hard hats when required for safety reasons, effectively requiring them to remove their
dastār. The judge stated that their safety outweighed their religious freedom. Previously Sikh drivers were able to avoid wearing hard hats if they remained within their vehicle, but this increased the loading times and was not commercially acceptable. == Sikh women and turbans ==