The Federal Administrative Court [Bundesverwaltungsgericht] – which sits in Leipzig and is not to be confused with the Federal Court of Justice [Bundesgerichtshof], which sits in Karlsruhe – held on 4 July that it is obligatory in Germany to wear a helmet when riding a motorcycle and that there is no religious exemption for devout Sikhs wearing turbans.

In July 2013, the plaintiff applied to the City of Konstanz for an exemption from the obligation to wear a helmet when riding a motorcycle on the grounds that he was obliged to wear a turban for religious reasons and the obligation violated his religious freedom as a devout Sikh under Art. 4(1) of the Basic Law [Grundgesetz]: Continue reading →