GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 8th August. The Supreme Court will hear a plea challenging the Bombay High Court’s decision to uphold a Mumbai college’s ban on hijabs, burqas, and naqabs within its premises.
The bench, including Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, scheduled the urgent hearing following concerns that the dress code might affect students during term exams.
Lawyer Abiha Zaidi, representing petitioners including Zainab Abdul Qayyum, argued for an expedited review due to the ongoing unit tests. The high court had previously ruled that the college’s dress code did not infringe on students’ fundamental rights and was within the institution’s right to maintain discipline.
The Supreme Court’s previous rulings on similar issues, including the Karnataka hijab controversy, have shown conflicting views. In Karnataka, a bench had split opinions on whether a hijab ban in schools violated constitutional rights.
The Bombay High Court had dismissed the challenge to the college’s ban, asserting that the dress code applied equally to all students and did not breach Articles 19(1)(a) and 25 of the Constitution.
The court also noted that the petitioners failed to provide sufficient evidence that wearing hijabs and naqabs was an essential religious practice.
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