Copenhagen, Denmark - A Danish court has upheld a ruling by a lower court that Sikhs cannot carry knives for religious reasons.
Denmark's Eastern High Court on Oct. 24 confirmed a decision by Copenhagen City Court that Ripudaman Singh had violated a Danish arms law that prohibits carrying knives with blades longer than 2.8 inches in public places.
Singh repeatedly carried a ritual dagger known as a kirpan in his waist band, a tradition that is a basic tenet of Sikhism, an India-based faith with more than 20 million followers worldwide.
The Eastern High Court said the initial ruling was not a violation of human rights because "the clampdown on such an arms possession was necessary in a democratic society that takes public safety into consideration."