The appellant, an orthodox Sikh student, was prohibited by his school board from wearing a kirpan to school on the basis that it violated the school's code of conduct prohibiting weapons.
The student and his father proposed an accommodation to wear the kirpan sealed inside his clothing, which the school board rejected.
The Supreme Court of Canada held that the absolute prohibition infringed the student's freedom of religion under section 2(a) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
The Court found that the infringement could not be justified under section 1 of the Charter, as the absolute prohibition did not minimally impair the student's rights given the low risk of violence when the kirpan is worn under strict conditions.
The school board's decision was declared null.
