Cannot disallow students of other religions from wearing the essentials of their religion : High Court

(Credits: Hindustan Times)

Bhopal (MP) – A FIR was registered on 31st May 2023 against 11 members of the ‘Ganga Jamuna Higher Secondary School’ in Damoh under Sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Juvenile Justice Act. The Madhya Pradesh High Court has given the following order in the case.

The Madhya Pradesh High Court released the following order –

“They shall not prevent students of other religions from wearing the essentials of their own religion such as wearing a sacred-thread (kalawa) and applying tilak to the forehead. They shall not compel the students of other religions to read/study any material or language which has not been prescribed or approved by the Madhya Pradesh Education Board. They shall not provide any religious education or material belonging to the Islam faith to the students of other religions and shall impart only modern eduction as contained in Section 53(1)(iii) of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015. Girl students of other religions i.e. Hindus and Jains, etc. shall not be compelled to wear head scarf (Hijab) anywhere in the school”. A single Judge Bench of Justice Dinesh Kumar Paliwal released committee members Asfa Sheikh, Anas Athar and Rustom Ali on a personal bond of Rs 50,000.

‘Can’t Force Students Of Other Religion To Wear Hijab’: High Court On Damoh School Rowhttps://t.co/xskEYUfuQe

— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) August 31, 2023

What is this issue ?

The controversy erupted after the school administration put up a poster of students who topped in classes 10 and 12 State Board exams. In the poster, all female students were seen wearing headscarves, though 5 of them were not Muslim. A complaint in this regard was filed later by the students’ parents.

After the Administration inquired into the complaint, it was revealed that Hijab was mandatory as part of the school uniform, Hindu students were forbidden from tying a red string on their wrists, learning Urdu was mandatory for every student, prayers offered were also Islamic. Some lady teachers were converted. After learning this about the school, the MP Government cancelled its recognition.