A Sikh priest displays a kirpan, a ceremonial Sikh sword, in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, Sept.1, 2004. Alberta has come up with a policy to allow Sikhs to wear a ceremonial religious dagger called a kirpan in courthouses.THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Manish Swarup
January 28, 2013 - 11:34 AM
EDMONTON - Alberta has come up with a policy to allow Sikhs to wear a ceremonial religious dagger called a kirpan in courthouses.
Under the Justice Department policy, a person must tell security officers they have a kirpan and wear it in a sheath, under clothing.
The blade of the kirpan can be no longer than 10 centimetres.
The World Sikh Organization says Alberta is the first province to bring in such a policy, which is partly based on rules developed for courts in Toronto.
The organization says Ontario is now working on a provincewide policy.
The Alberta rules stem from a human rights complaint filed in 2008 where a man wasn't allowed inside a Calgary court because he was wearing a kirpan.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2013