Key Employment Discrimination Cases Over the Past Five Years

The Sikh Coalition has provided assistance to over 60 Sikhs concerned that they were victims of employment discrimination over the past 5 years.

Below are descriptions of our most important cases.  Click on the links below for more detailed descriptions.

Kawaljeet Kaur v. IRS, February 2006, Coalition files complaint of discrimination after IRS forbids Sikh employee from carrying her kirpan in a workplace that contains thousands of more dangerous items such as scissors, box cutters, and kitchen knives.

Sukhvir Kaur v. National Wholesale Liquidators, August 2005, Coalition files charge of discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission after employer tells Sikh employee to take off her dastaar and that Sikhs are “dirty” and “nasty” people.  EEOC finds in favor of Sukhvir Kaur in October 2006.

Sat Hari Singh, et al. v. MTA, July 2005, Coalition files a federal lawsuit after the Metropolitan Transportation Authority forces Sat Hari Singh and 5 other Sikh workers to brand their turbans with its corporate logos while allowing non-Sikh workers to wear baseball hats, winter hats, and other fashion hat hair without a company logo.

Amric Singh v. NYPD, March 2004, Coalition and Amric Singh file an employment discrimination lawsuit against the New York City Police Department for its failure to allow Amric to serve as a Traffic Enforcement Agent with his Dastaar on.  The NYPD settles the matter after two and one-half years of litigation.

Harvinder Kaur v. Capital Federal Bank, March 2004, Coalition writes to bank employer that forbids a Sikh worker from carrying her kirpan to work.  The bank withdraws its directive after the Coalition intervenes.