French High Court Upholds Ban On Keski In Schools

The Conseil d'Etat, France's highest court for review of administrative decisions, has upheld the 2004 expulsion from the Louise-Michel High School of Bobigny of three Sikh boys who insisted on wearing a keski (an under-turban). Punjab News Line yesterday reported that the decision, handed down December 5, finds that the keski is not a discreet sign but is an ostensible manifestation of religion which is prohibited in schools by a 2004 French law. The court held that the keski ban did not lead to an excessive infringement of freedom of thought, conscience and religion guaranteed by Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights. Since the ban applies to all religions, the court said it does not violate the anti-discrimination provisions of Article 14 of the ECHR. The schoolboys, represented by United Sikhs, plan to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights and to the United Nations Human Rights Committee. It is not clear how the decision of the Conseil d'Etat affects arrangements that have by now been worked out in many French schools that permit Sikhs to wear a keski. (See BBC News, April 19, 2005.)