SC says it will hear plea against Bombay HC’s order upholding college’s ban on burqa and hijab

New Delhi [India], August 6 (ANI): The Supreme Court on Tuesday assured that it has ordered the listing of a plea challenging the verdict of the Bombay High Court,, which had upheld a decision of a Mumbai college to impose a ban on wearing of ‘hijab’, ‘burqa’ and ‘naqab’ inside the campus.

Taking note of the submissiom seeking urgent listing of the appeal, a bench comprising Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra said it would give the hearing date after the matter was mentioned for an early hearing.

“Yes, we will give a date in this case and hear it,” said the bench.

The order of the High Court was challenged in the apex court.

In June, the Bombay High Court dismissed the plea filed by a group of girl students challenging the ban imposed by a college in Mumbai on wearing a hijab, niqab, burkha, stole, caps or any kind of badge in the classroom.

It had said that it was not inclined to interfere in the decisions of the college administration.

The students were from Chembur Trombay Education Society’s NG Acharya and DK Marathe College.

The second and third years of B.Sc. and B.Sc. (Computer Science) programmes claimed that the new dress code violated their fundamental rights to privacy, dignity, and religious freedom.

The college had told the High Court that the ban applies to all religious symbols and is not targeted at Muslims.

The High Court’s order stated, “We are satisfied that the instructions issued by the college under which a dress code has been prescribed for its students do not suffer from any infirmity so as to violate the provisions of Article 19(1)(a) and Article 25 of the Constitution of India. The object behind issuing the same is that the dress of a student should not reveal his/her religion, which is a step towards ensuring that the students focus on gaining knowledge and education, which is in their greater interest.”