NEW YORK: The Justice Department sued the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and New York City Transit on Sept. 30, charging them with discriminating against Muslim and Sikh employees who wear turbans and head scarves for religious reasons.

But in a statement, transit officials declared the lawsuit “totally without merit,” arguing that no one in the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division had discussed the issue with them and that they had already changed their policy on uniforms to allow religious head coverings provided by the authority. The lawsuit stems from a series of incidents dating back to 2002. Since then, four Muslim women –– all bus drivers for New York City Transit –– have been barred from operating buses on the road and reassigned to work inside bus depots because they refused to wear regulation caps over their headscarves, known as hijabs. More recently, transit managers briefly reassigned Kevin Harrington, a Sikh train operator, to a rail yard because he refused to take off his turban at work. After his case drew public attention, he was allowed back on his old job in June.

(By Permission, The New York Times)