A judge has rejected Syncrude Canada's appeal to be removed from a human-rights case, allowing a Sikh man's complaint that he was unjustly fired for having a beard.

Syncrude had appealed an Alberta Human Rights and Citizenship Commission ruling that it was a party to the case.

In its submission, Syncrude argued it was not responsible for Devinder Wadhwa's firing. Wadhwa, though, says he was fired as a result of a Syncrude policy forbidding beards. [Link]