Saturday, December 10 2005 14:22 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Paris: A Sikh who won the right to wear his turban in his driving license identity photo only to see that right withdrawn a day later will pursue his battle to find out if "one can be both Sikh and French," a spokesman for the Sikh community has said.

"We'll get to the bottom of this," said Kudrat Singh, who acts as spokesman for many in the Sikh community.

"Can you be both a Sikh and French considering the ethnic character of Sikhs," he said, contending that the Sikh religion is linked to the ethnic issue. "What we want from France is a yes or no."

The Council of State, France's highest administrative body ruled Monday that Shingara Mann Singh, a French citizen, could wear his turban in the photo because a ban on covering the head in official photos came from the wrong ministry - the Interior Ministry.

That decision was annulled, with the Council of State ruling that the Interior Ministry - which banned head coverings on official identity photos - did not have the right to decide an issue concerning the Transport Ministry. It said a Transport Ministry order was not precise enough to apply.

The council said Singh must be given his license within 30 days.

The following day, the Transport Ministry changed its order, specifically saying that the Interior Ministry ban was applicable for driving licenses. The move meant that Singh, could not receive his license as long as he wore a turban.

Singh's lawyer, Patrice Spinosi, said he would take the case back to the Council of State to verify that such a man oeuvre is legal.