Supreme Court to Hear Petition Against Burqa, Hijab Ban at Mumbai College on August 9

New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India is set to hear a petition tomorrow challenging a ban on wearing burqas, hijabs, or niqabs at NG Acharya & DK Marathe College in Chembur,  Mumbai. The petitioner has urged the Chief Justice for an expedited hearing on the matter.

The petition has been filed against a decision by the Bombay High Court, which upheld the college's ban on wearing these garments within the campus. The controversy stems from a new dress code issued by the Chembur college in May this year, set to be implemented from the academic year that started in June 2024.

This move followed an incident last August, where several junior college girls wearing hijabs were allegedly denied entry for not adhering to the prescribed uniform. The new dress code explicitly states that burqas, niqabs, hijabs, or any religious identifiers such as badges, caps, or stoles are not permitted inside the college premises.

The Bombay High Court had ruled that the dress code issued by the college is in the broader academic interest and does not violate the provisions of Articles 19(1)(a) and 25 of the Constitution of India.

In July, NG Acharya & DK Marathe College in Chembur, Mumbai also banned wearing jeans, T-shirt, jersey or any revealing dress while on the campus. 

As per the new dress code notice released by the college, male students can wear full or half- sleeve shirts with trousers and female students can wear any Indian or western outfit. However, it should be a decent dress and not a revealing one. Moreover, the college restricted the students from wearing anything that shows religion or cultural disparity like nakab, hijab, burqa, stole, cap, badges etc.