Supreme Court to hear on Friday plea against Bombay High Court verdict upholding ban on hijab/burqa on college campus

New Delhi, August 8

The Supreme Court will take up on August 9 a petition challenging a Bombay High Court upholding a Mumbai college’s decision to impose a ban on wearing of ‘hijab’, ‘burqa’ and ‘niqab’ on its campus.

Taking note of the submissions made by a lawyer that the term examination has commenced and the students belonging to a minority community were bound to face difficulties due the instructions on dress code, a Bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud on Thursday said the matter had already been listed for hearing on august 9.

“It is coming up tomorrow (Friday). I have listed it already,” the CJI told advocate Abiha Zaidi after she sought urgent hearing of the matter.

On June 26, the Bombay High Court had refused to interfere with the decision of the Chembur Trombay Education Society’s NG Acharya and DK Marathe College imposing the ban, saying such rules did not violate students’ fundamental rights.

A dress code was meant to maintain discipline which was a part of the college’s fundamental right to “establish and administer an educational institution”, it had said.