Navigating Religious Rights: Can Sikh Employees Legally Carry a Kirpan at Work in India?

Can a Sikh employee carry Kirpan in the office? Kirpan is a small sword which is related to the religion and there are specific category of Sikh who carry it.
There is this case of one of the Sikh Employee in my office who has been asked by his Managers to take permission of HR to carry the Kirpan in the office.
Would like to know if there is any law in India that speaks about the Sikh employee's to carry or not to carry the Kirpan in the office.
Please suggest.
Regards,
Kuldeep

Dear Kuldeep,

Yes, the Sikh employee has every right to carry a Kirpan if it is mandatory under his religion. This is his fundamental right guaranteed by our Constitution.

Please note one thing, there is a restriction regarding the length of the blade under the law; the exact figure I have forgotten, which constitutes a dangerous weapon that can kill someone. That can be banned or regulated by way of taking permission from the appropriate authority under the law.

For example, say the length of the blade to qualify as dangerous is six inches, so a Sikh has every right to carry a Kirpan whose blade length is below 6 inches. Any prevention in this regard will result in an infringement of Fundamental Rights. However, if he wishes to carry a Kirpan with a blade length of 6 inches or more, then he will need to obtain permission, and the employer can restrict its entry on grounds of security.

Kindly check the blade length with the Local Police Station.

Regards,
SC