Canadian Judge Refuses To Let Sikh Witness Wear Kirpan

A Canadian trial court in Windsor, Ontario yesterday refused to permit a key witness in a contentious lawsuit between two factions at a local Sikh temple to enter the courtroom wearing his kirpan (ceremonial dagger). According to the Montreal Gazette, Superior Court Justice Steven Rogin said that the witness, a physician and gurdwara leader, will not be permitted to bring his kirpan into the courthouse even though the ban may breach his charter right to freedom of religion. The judge said that the leadership dispute at the Sikh Cultural Society of Metropolitan Windsor has generated "excitement and passion," and the kirpan could be used as a weapon. When witness Dr. Sukdev Singh Kooner, who is at the center of the dispute, refused to enter the courtroom without his kirpan, Judge Rogin adjourned the proceedings so Kooner can testify through a deposition that will be taken at his lawyer's office, transcribed by a court reporter and entered into evidence.