Bombay HC allows student to attend college wearing hijab

Mumbai: The Bombay high court has granted the prayer of a Muslim student to be allowed to wear a headscarf and gown, which is the traditional dress of Muslim women, while attending lectures in a homeopathy college at Thane. 

The student had been failed in 2016-17 as she did not have the requisite attendance. The student had claimed that she had not been attending lectures as the college had not allowed her to wear the headscarf and gown. 

 A division bench of justices RM Savant and Sarang Kotwal was hearing a writ petition filed by a student of the Sai Homeopathic Medical College seeking directions to the college and university to either allow her to attend college wearing the hijab or transfer her to another college where she could practice her religious obligation of wearing the hijab (headscarf) without any restriction. 

The student also sought permission to appear for the repeated batch of the first year exam which was to be held in the summer. 

According to senior counsel Mihir Desai, appearing for the petitioner, she had not been attending college in 2016-17 as the college insisted that she remove her headscarf. 

However, the college refuted the claims and said that she had been restrained from wearing the full burqa and veil. 

After the college made its submission, the petitioner said that she had never insisted on wearing the full burqa or veil but only the headscarf and a long gown over which she was willing to wear the apron like other students, to which the college acceded to accommodating her to attend the classes that are already underway.    

 The court directed the college and university to allow the student to wear the hijab and said that the prayer for transfer was not required and disposed off the petition.