(24 News) The Supreme Court of India has intervened to prevent a private college in Mumbai from banning the hijab worn by female students.
A bench comprising Justices Sanjeev Khanna and Sanjay Kumar issued the order after hearing a petition filed by Muslim students of DK Marathi College in Chembur, Mumbai. The court asked the college management to respond by November. It questioned why the college allowed other students to apply tilak or bandya on their foreheads if it was banning hijabs based on religious identity.
The court emphasized that no educational institution has the right to force students to hide their religious identities. It stressed that such actions can negatively impact students’ minds and that religious discrimination should be avoided in educational environments.
This is not the first case of its kind in India. Similar bans on Muslim girls wearing hijab have been challenged in courts in several southern states and West Bengal.