Supreme Court Showdown Looms as Mumbai College Students Challenge Hijab Ban Ruling
Last Updated on June 27, 2024 by News Desk
Nine Muslim students from a Mumbai college have filed a plea against the ban on hijabs, veils, stoles, and caps on the premises. The Bombay High Court rejected the plea, stating that the dress code as prescribed cannot be held to violate the petitioners’ rights under Article 19(1) (a) and Article 25 of the Constitution of India.
The students, pursuing an undergraduate degree in Computer Science, termed the CTES management’s decision “arbitrary, unreasonable, bad in law and perverse” and are likely to challenge the High Court verdict in the Supreme Court.
The students, through their lawyer Altaf Khan, contended that the new dress code violated their fundamental rights to privacy, dignity, and religious freedom. They have written to the University of Mumbai, the University Grants Commission, the Vice-Chancellor, and the Chancellor seeking their intervention.
Senior Advocate Anil Anturkar representing the college argued that the dress code was uniformly applicable to all religious symbols, and that the college policy is to prevent the open display of religious symbols unless they are essential under the fundamental right to religion.
Samajwadi Party state president Abu Asim Azmi expressed the hope that the Supreme Court will permit the students to wear hijab in schools and colleges.
