Washington, DC – Judge Helen Harper of Laurens County, Georgia, offered an apology to Tarun Singh, a Sikh American man who was denied entry to the court due to its “no hats” policy. Additionally, the court instituted a formal written change to its security policy regarding religious head coverings that explicitly mentioned Sikh Americans.

The Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF) intervened in the case on behalf of Tarun Singh when in August 2005 he arrived at the Lauren County Probate Court to contest a traffic violation and was asked by the court security to remove his turban to comply with the court’s ‘no-hat’ policy. Singh refused to remove his religiously mandated turban and was prevented from entering the court building, and thus denied his constitutional right to defend himself in a court of law.

Tarun Singh contacted SALDEF seeking redress for this issue. SALDEF immediately contacted the county attorney and judge demanding a letter of apology, a clarification of their policy on religious head coverings and asking that the court allow Singh the ability to contest the ticket.

In her letter to SALDEF and Tarun Singh, Judge Harper stated: “The Court’s ‘No-Hats’ policy is not, and never has been, intended to deny anyone their constitutional rights, or to discriminate against any religious beliefs. I sincerely regret any embarrassment or inconvenience you may have experienced.”

In working with both Judge Harper and County Attorney Billy Kight, SALDEF was able to receive a formal letter of apology from the court and get a full refund of the traffic violation for Singh.

"I am glad that I contacted SALDEF and can't thank them enough for their persistence and aggressive pursuit of my case,” said Singh. “[Their] involvement was vital in resolving my case with such a positive outcome."

"This outcome is a tremendous step in making sure that people of faith are not discriminated against and allowed all the rights and liberties guaranteed to them,” said SALDEF President Mirin Kaur. “The changing of the court policy will not only affect Sikh Americans but also Muslim men with skullcaps, Muslim women wearing hijab, Jewish men with yarmulkes, Christian women with religious head coverings, and all other people who wear mandatory religious attire.”

Such issues of religious liberty continue to occur across the United States. SALDEF has assisted Sikhs in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Washington State who have been denied entrance into restaurants and businesses over the last year because of their turban.

“We urge Sikhs across the country to contact us,” says SALDEF, “if you experience any incidents where you have been denied entrance into an establishment, private or public, due to your faith, or if you have in any way been prohibited from practicing your faith freely.”


Note: For more information, see www.saldef.org.

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