Legal action over turban ban

NEIL DUDDY

NOT ALLOWED: A vote to ban turbans was held after Karnail Singh was barred from entering the club in November.

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Auckland's Sikh community is taking legal action against the Manurewa Cosmopolitan Club over refusing turban-wearers entry and then voting to uphold its stance.

Sikh Council secretary Verpal Singh confirmed legal avenues would be pursued after mediation with the club failed.

On Sunday, two-thirds of Cosmopolitan Club members voted against altering their club rules and allowing religious headwear.

The controversy has been simmering since Auckland man Karnail Singh was barred from a reception recognising his service to the community held at the club in December last year.

Verpal Singh said the Sikh Council took legal advice on Monday night and was told it had a strong case.

An application for representation by the Office of Human Rights Proceedings would be made once the details were worked out in the coming days, he said.

The Human Rights Review Tribunal can make legally binding rulings such as issuing compensation up to $200,000 or making restraining orders ''preventing the repeat of any contravening conduct''.

Mr Singh said it was not just Karnail Singh who had been excluded from the club.

Other members of the Sikh community were also discriminated against so as well as representing Karnail, the action would be for all Sikhs.

The Manurewa Cosmopolitan Club was also involved in mediation with the Human Rights Commission earlier last year after not allowing a Muslim student into its dining hall because she was wearing a hijab, a religious head-scarf.

Outgoing Cosmopolitan Club president Bob Eagleton said the club had fulfilled its commitments under the mediation, which was to hold the vote.

''As far as the Sikh Society is concerned, it's come out the wrong way.''

Mr Eagleton said he had a good working relationship with Verpal Singh, calling him ''a hell of a nice guy''.

He would wait to see what moves the society took before discussing the club's response, he said.

Mr Eagleton said he had stepped down after four years as president at last weekend's Annual General Meeting.

Asked if anyone had put in to take up the reins at such a fractured time, he laughed: ''There've been one or two.''

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