High Court grants Hearing for Aberdare Sikh Schoolgirl
January 25, 2008
The High Court has decided to hear the case of 14-year-old Sarika Singh, excluded from Aberdare Girl’s School for wearing a Sikh religious bangle.The human rights group Liberty will argue that the school has breached race relations and human rights laws, as well as a 25-year-old Law Lords’ decision which allows Sikh children to wear items representing their faith, including turbans, to school.
Anna Fairclough, Liberty’s Legal Officer representing the Singhs, said: “Nothing less than our traditions of religious freedom and racial tolerance are on trial in this case. Individuals from any religion who wish to modestly express their faith should not be denied a proper education as Ms Singh has.”
Singh, of mixed Welsh/Punjabi origin, has been brought up in the Sikh faith and is the only Sikh at the Aberdare Girl’s School. The school’s uniform policy prohibits the wearing of any jewellery other than a wrist watch and plain ear studs. When the school noticed that Singh was wearing the religious bangle, she was subsequently isolated throughout the day, including meals, for approximately two months.
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