UGC NET 2018: Delhi HC allows sikh candidates to wear ‘kara’ and ‘carry ‘kirpan’

The Delhi High Court bench was hearing activist Hemant Goswami’s PIL, seeking reconstitution of the tribunal under the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007. (Express photo: Ravi Kanojia/File)

The Delhi High Court on Thursday allowed Sikh candidates to wear or carry their articles of faith namely a ‘kara’ (iron bracelet) and ‘Kirpan’ (dagger) in the National Eligibility Test 2018. However, the court has instructed that the candidates should reach the examination centre one hour prior to the normal reporting time to for screening and security purposes.

The rift between an education board and the Sikh community was also witnessed last year when Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) had urged the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to ensure that Sikh candidates be allowed to wear the ‘kara’ and the ‘kirpan’ in Amritsar.

The committee had issued a release and explained the significance of the religious symbols of the Sikh community in 2017. CBSE will conduct the UGC NET 2018 on July 8, 2018. The examination is conducted every year to fill up the post of assistant professor and junior research fellowship.