End of Santa Banta jokes? Petitioner asks SC to ban jokes against Sikhs

A petitioner has asked the Supreme Court to ban websites that run jokes about the Sikh community. "We are being ridiculed by these jokes. We have sacrificed a lot but when we go abroad we are ridiculed. I myself have suffered it. We want these to be stopped," the petitioner, Harvinder Chowdhury said.

Harvinder Chowdhury argued that people from her community are needlessly ridiculed for these jokes. Meanwhile the court said that the ‘Sikh community is known for its great sense of humour’ and asked: “Even Sikhs may object to your petition. Fortunately we have a Sikh judge in the Supreme Court. Can we post this case before the judge?" However, the petitioner said that the jokes ‘affect the dignity’ of her community, and the court admitted the PIL and gave Ms Chowdhury a month’s time to prepare.