The Bombay Excessive Court docket on Wednesday declined to intervene in a call taken by NG Acharya and DK Marathe Faculty, a city-based establishment, to ban the sporting of hijabs, burkas, and naqabs on its premises. The ruling was delivered by a division bench comprising Justices A S Chandurkar and Rajesh Patil, who dismissed a petition filed by 9 feminine college students enrolled within the second and third years of a science diploma course.
Earlier this month, the scholars filed their petition within the HC towards a directive issued by the Chembur Trombay Training Society’s NG Acharya and DK Marathe Faculty that enforced a costume code prohibiting the donning of hijabs, naqabs, burkas, stoles, caps, and badges inside the campus.
The petitioners claimed the brand new costume code coverage violated their basic rights to observe their faith, privateness, and selection. In response to information company PTI, the plea described the faculty’s motion as “arbitrary, unreasonable, bad-in-law, and perverse.”
Altaf Khan, the advocate representing the scholars, submitted versus from the Quran to the court docket final week that highlighted their declare that sporting the hijab is an important a part of Islam. They have been additionally counting on their proper to observe their faith; the petitioners have been additionally asserting their rights to non-public alternative and privateness of their opposition to the faculty’s determination.
In its defence, the faculty maintained that the ban was a disciplinary measure aimed toward implementing a uniform costume code and was not supposed to focus on the Muslim group. Senior counsel Anil Anturkar, representing the faculty administration, acknowledged that the costume code utilized to all college students, no matter their faith or caste.
The scholars contended that the directive constituted a “colorable train of energy.” Initially, they’d requested the faculty administration and principal rescind the restriction, arguing it infringed upon their rights to alternative, dignity, and privateness within the classroom. The scholars additionally sought intervention from the chancellor and vice chancellor of Mumbai College and the College Grants Fee to make sure non-discriminatory academic practices.
After receiving no response to their grievances, the scholars filed a petition with the Excessive Court docket, which has now been dismissed.
(With inputs from PTI)
