Mumbai: Chembur college modifies hijab policy

NG Acharya and DK Marathe College has modified its policy concerning the wearing of hijabs on campus This came in the wake of a Supreme Court stay on the collegersquos previous directive which barred students from wearing hijabs burqas or other faithrelated attire or symbols While the hijab is now allowed inside the college run by the Chembur Trombay Education Society restrictions on burqas and niqabs remainmidday spoke with students from the college following the apex courtrsquos decision on August 9 which halted the enforcement of the policy that prohibited Muslim women from wearing hijabs burqas and niqabs on campus grounds until the next hearing ldquoYes it is true after the Supreme Courtrsquos stay the administration has allowed us to wear the hijab inside the collegerdquo said a studentThe NG Acharya and DK Marathe College File picldquoEven after the Supreme Courtrsquos stayed the May 1 college circular imposing a dress code policy we are not allowed to wear niqabs and burqas on campus They should allow us to wear burqa and niqab too as these garments are also mentioned in the circularrdquoBackground of caseThe studentsrsquo appeal and the subsequent stay highlight ongoing debates around educational policies and religious freedoms in India particularly concerning attire that some institutions consider as contravening their dress codes The Supreme Courtrsquos intervention came after a group of students led by Zainab Abdul Qayyum Choudhary challenged a Bombay High Court ruling on June 27 which had earlier upheld the collegersquos dress code policyThe college administration has been arguing that the dress code applies to all students across religious and community lines The management has since maintained that the objective behind the rules was not to reveal studentsrsquo religion and they relied on a 2022 Karnataka High Court judgment which stated that donning the hijab or niqab was ldquonot an essential religious practicerdquo for women professing Islam The college also said that this was an internal matter and a part of its right to maintain disciplineThe Supreme Court in its review questioned whether the college had recognised the religious diversity of the country only recently and has scheduled further hearings for November 2024 Before this on June 27 the Bombay High Court held that the decision was ldquoin larger academic interestrdquo The court also stated that since the instructions issued by the college were ldquoapplicable to all students irrespective of their caste creed religion or languagerdquo they did not violate UGC guidelinesFollowing the high courts verdict in June favouring the collegersquos dress code six of the nine girl students who moved court against the management for not allowing burqas hijabs and niqabs on campus had left the college and some of them secured admission to another college in Bandra Meanwhile three of the nine students remain enrolled but have not been attending lecturesThe circular dated May 1 2024 stated that for the academic year starting June 2024 a dress code applies to all students And that students wear only ldquoformalrdquo and ldquodecentrdquo dress in college The circular further restricted burqa niqabs hijabs or any part of dress which reveals ldquoreligion like badge cap stole inside the campus and has to be removed as soon as a student enters the college by going to the common roomrdquoPrincipal SpeakMeanwhile the principal of the college clarified the new adjustments stating that while students are now allowed to wear hijabs the ban on burqas niqabs or any attire that covers the face will remain in effect ldquoAs per the apex courts directions we are allowing students to wear a hijab inside the college but not a burqa niqab or anything that masks faces To enforce the dress code mentioned in the circular we have been doing random checks every week If a student is found wearing indecent clothes such as torn jeans jerseys and shorts on college premises we confiscate their mobile phones and college ID cardsrdquo Dr Vidyagauri Lele the principal of the college told midday