Court bars Gursant Singh from jury duty.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: Gursant Singh, an Indian American from Sutter County, California, is in the middle of a row with a local court, which refused him entrance for his mandatory jury duty service because he carries a traditional kirpan on his waist at all times.
Singh, a resident of the county just north of Sacramento, has been a practicing Sikh for over 30 years, ever since he converted in 1981. A strict adherent of the faith, Singh keeps his hair uncut and in a turban, brushes his beard twice a day to keep it neat, wears a traditional bracelet on his right wrist, wears traditional Sikh undergarments, and carries around a small, six inch-long dagger known as a kirpan.
It’s that last part that has Sutter County judicial officials uncomfortable, especially since county law specifically forbids any kind of weaponry to be brought into the courthouse. Under normal protocol, all banned items are checked in with security at the front of the courthouse, but Singh is apparently unwilling to do this, saying that this would be like taking away a part of his religion from him.
With Singh’s mandatory jury duty date of April 29 fast approaching, Singh now faces the very real possibility that he won’t be able to fulfill the jury service, which is mandated by US law. If he fails to comply with the court, and does not show up for his jury duty, he faces stiff fines and possibly even jail time.
In an effort to rally support to his cause, Singh has launched a campaign on YouTube to spread awareness of Sikh teachings and show that his kirpan is a required tenet of the religion, and not a weapon. In fact, Sikh scripture forbids the use of the kirpan as a weapon, saying that it is only to be used in self-defense, never to actively harm an individual.
This is not the first time Singh has come into the online limelight for his Sikh beliefs. Last year, in response to attacks on Sikhs that continue to occur across the nation, Singh was outspoken in his belief that Sikhs should actually arm themselves for self-defense. Singh took to his YouTube channel to say that all Sikhs should know how to use a firearm, and keep one on them in case they become the target of a violent attack.
Singh has also written a book entitled “Confessions of an American Sikh,” in which he talks about how he chose to convert from Christianity to Sikhism in his 20s – Singh’s birth name is Clark Harris, and he was born in southern California in 1956 – and his perception of Sikh persecution in the US.
According to local CBS News 13, Sutter County Jury Commissioner Mary Beth Todd is trying to come up with a way that Singh can serve his jury duty while also complying with the court’s restrictions, but the court’s main concern is to provide a safe environment for everyone in the courtroom, which they feel unable to do if Singh keeps his dagger.
Singh, in response, has said that he would rather be arrested than forced to hand his kirpan over. The issue remains unsolved just five days away from the jury duty court date.