SHC issues notices over plea for Sikh community column’s inclusion in census form

The Sindh High Court issued notices to a federal law officer, the census commissioner and others on Tuesday over a petition seeking the inclusion of a Sikh community column in the census form.

The petitioner, Heera Singh, said more than 100,000 citizens belonging to the Sikh community were living in the country, but no separate column had been included in the census registration form for them. 

He submitted that the names of other minority communities had been included in the census form, but the Sikh community had not been made part of the form, which, he said, was against the national spirit and solidarity. 

He requested the court to direct the census commissioner and the Bureau of Statistics to include a column for the Sikh community in the form. 

The court directed the federal law officer, census commissioner and others to file their replies to the complaint by March 27.