The first 'Sikh Court' opened not in the Sikhs' own land…
What did not happen in Punjab, the land of Sikhs, has happened in the land of white people in London. Last Saturday, the world's first Sikh court has started in london with a prayer request. The Sikh court was inaugurated with cheers at a ceremony in the Old Hall of London's Lincoln's Inn. Advocate Baldeep Singh, one of the founders of the court, says its aim is to help Sikh families in times of need while dealing with conflicts and disputes.
This new Sikh court will function in person, and will consist of about 30 magistrates and 15 judges, most of whom will be women. A newspaper report said that magistrates would mediate between the two parties to negotiate a settlement on any dispute, and then take the entire dispute to a judge.
This court will act as an optional forum to resolve family and civil disputes of Sikhs. That is, any Sikh will be able to solve his problem here. Other courts in london will continue to operate at their own level.
After discussions with Sikh organizations, it has been decided that the court will deal with cases like domestic violence, gambling and drug addiction. If mediation fails in these cases, the case may be brought before a court judge. Thereafter, a legal decision will be taken under the Arbitration Act. He further said that the purpose of this court is not to take over and harass the english courts. We just want to solve the issues of Sikhs separately.
