Indian Supreme Court Rejects Challenge To French Action Against Sikhs

India's Supreme Court has dismissed for lack of jurisdiction a claim brought by a Sikh organization, Singh Legal Foundation, challenging France's law that prohibits Sikhs from wearing turbans or other religious symbols in public places in France. Apparently the suit is directed at the French ban on religious symbols in public schools. (See prior posting.) Bombay News.net reported yesterday that the suit before India's Supreme Court claimed that it was the duty of the Indian government to protect the fundamental rights of Indian Sikhs living abroad. The court ruled, however, that the issue could only be raised in French courts, or in the international or EU courts. Also the court pointed out that the Indian government has already raised the issue with France through diplomatic channels.