Britain's First Sikh Judge
August 7, England
from: "Sitting In Judgement: Mota Singh QC, Britain's first Asian Judge"
by: Allan Little, BBC News
Britain's first Asian judge has insisted that he has never experienced racism in his work.
Mota Singh QC, made headlines with his appointment in 1982. His decision to
wear a white turban in court, instead of a wig, came to be seen as a sign of
a multi cultural Britain.
He told BBC HARDtalk's Allan Little: "Never in all the 35 years that I
have been here, can I recall any single occasion when I was treated differently
because of my racial or ethnic origins or colour." But this belief has
led to criticism from Asian colleagues.
Imran Khan: critical of "lending legitimacy to racism"...
Imran Khan, famous for his work on race cases such as the Stephen Lawrence
Inquiry, has said: "Mota Singh is burying his head in the sand. "It
lends legitimacy to racist groups or to those who want to play down or ignore
racism."
Mr Singh dismissed the comments as "utter nonsense", saying: "I
spoke the truth."
Breaking into the establishment...
He admitted racism existed in Britain - "parliament recognizes it, and
for that reason there's legislation in this country" - but said his own
experience was different.
He conceded that there might be an element of institutional racism within the
judiciary. But he added: "I do not know of any single judge who I can say
was racist in his approach to the case he was dealing with."
Redressing the balance...
Mota Singh wore his white turban in court.
The judiciary in Britain - one of the central pillars of the establishment
- has traditionally been drawn largely from English public schools and the ancient
universities. But Mr Singh said he believed that the door was now open to young
blacks and Asians and that "people of the right caliber and standing have
to apply." Appointments from among ethnic minorities should be on merit.
Mota Singh...
He said he was against positive discrimination, but added: "There should
be more appointments from among the ethnic minorities, but those appointments
should also be on merit.
"The Lord Chancellor is committed to a non-racial judiciary".
And he summed up his attitude: "I believe in a Britain where Christian, Hindu, Muslim, Jew, Sikh or any others live together and work together, each retaining their own faith and their own racial or ethnic identity, but each having a bond in common of being - either by birth or by choice - British."