Can you say don’t do pottu and tilakam? As the Supreme Court has asked in the case related to Hijab.
In a private college in the state of Mumbai, students were banned from wearing hijab, naqab, burqa, and hats related to religious symbols. Some of the students studying in the concerned college requested the college administration to withdraw this order. But the college administration denied it.
Later, the students petitioned the Chancellor, Vice-Chancellor and the University Grants Committee of Mumbai University in this regard and got no response, so 9 students studying in the 2nd year and 3rd year of the concerned private college filed a petition in the Mumbai High Court. In the petition, they sought an order quashing the college administration’s order banning the wearing of hijab.
The case came up for hearing in Mumbai High Court on June 26 in a session comprising Justice AS Chandurkar and Justice Rajesh Patil. The judges who heard the case said that the court cannot interfere with the order of the college administration and dismissed the petition filed by the students.
The students appealed to the Supreme Court against this order. The petition came up for hearing today in a session comprising Justice Sanjeev Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar. Then the judges, how many years has the college involved in this case been functioning? They questioned.
Advocate Madhavi Dewan, appearing for the college, said that the college has been functioning since 2008. The judges then said, “You have not issued any order for all these years. But now suddenly you have realized the existence of religion?” They questioned that.
And, “Bottu, can you say don’t do tilak?” Justice Sanjeev Khanna questioned. Advocate Madhavi Dewan said that 441 Muslim students are coming to the college happily and only a few students are protesting.
To this, Justice Sanjay Kumar said, “Isn’t it her personal choice what she wants to wear? Isn’t one’s religion revealed by one’s name? Are you going to identify them with numbers instead of names?” He asked a barrage of questions.
Justice Sanjeev Khanna observed that students should study together and such orders should not be issued. At the same time, the judges specified that it is not allowed to wear face-covering burqa in the classroom and to carry out religious activities within the college premises.
Discussion about this post