UK Gets First ‘Sikh Court’ To Handle Family Cases: Overview

London: According to a UK media report on Thursday, British Sikh attorneys have banded together to establish a new court as a platform for resolving issues within the community, including family and civil cases.
Religious hymns preceded the introduction of the Sikh court last weekend during a ceremony held in the Old Hall at Lincoln’s Inn in London, according to ‘The Times’.

One of the court’s founders, 33-year-old London-based attorney Baldip Singh, told the newspaper that the court was not a religious tribunal but rather a resource for Sikh families in need, helping them resolve conflicts and disagreements “in line with Sikh principles.”

About “30 magistrates and 15 judges, of whom most will be women,” will make up the new court, which will hold both in-person and virtual sessions. According to the newspaper article, the magistrates will act as mediators to help the parties reach a resolution and will also point them in the direction of a course to assist them in focusing on certain problems.

The seminars, which are offered in Punjabi and English, address topics such as low-level domestic violence, anger management, gambling, and drug abuse. They were developed after conversations with Sikh organizations. In the event that mediation fails, a matter may be presented before a Sikh court judge, who is authorized by the Arbitration Act to provide a legally enforceable decision.

According to Baldip Singh, in order to participate in a case, both parties would need to provide their approval under the new court’s regulations.

“They will be sent to the proper location if we believe that there are really important safeguarding problems that we cannot or should not handle. A lawyer who was supposedly sworn in as the “lead family judge” for the new Sikh court last week, Sharan Bhachu, said, “We’re not here to take over and upset the English courts.”