The Allahabad High Court has dismissed a petition filed by a Class 11 Muslim student seeking permission to wear a hijab with her prescribed school uniform, ruling that the practice could not be established as an essential religious practice of Islam.
A division bench of Justice JJ Munir and Justice Indrajeet Shukla heard the plea filed by the student from a school in Prayagraj. The student had argued that wearing a headscarf was part of her religious practice and deserved protection under Article 25 of the Constitution, which guarantees the freedom of religion.
However, the court said a mere assertion was not enough to claim constitutional protection. It observed that the petitioner had failed to provide sufficient factual or legal grounds to establish that wearing a hijab was an obligatory practice in Islam.
The Allahabad High Court also upheld the school’s right to enforce a uniform dress code. It said that when a dress policy is uniform, non-discriminatory and aimed at maintaining discipline and institutional identity, individual students cannot demand changes based on personal preferences.
The student argued that she had worn a headscarf from Class 6 to Class 10 without objections. However, the bench ruled that the school’s earlier acceptance did not create a permanent legal right if the institution later chose to strictly enforce its prescribed uniform policy.
Referring to previous court rulings, the bench said it found no reason to differ from the Karnataka High Court’s earlier view on the issue. The Supreme Court has not yet delivered a final ruling after a split verdict in the Karnataka hijab case. The petition was dismissed, allowing the Prayagraj school to continue enforcing its uniform policy.
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