Political tensions in Uttar Pradesh escalated after the Allahabad High Court affirmed the primacy of institutional dress codes and rejected a petition seeking permission to wear a hijab in school. Shortly after the ruling was delivered, Cabinet Minister OP Rajbhar targeted Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, demanding that he publicly declare his position on the judicial outcome.
Allahabad High Court Mandates Compliance with School Uniform Rules
A division bench comprising Justice JJ Munir and Justice Indrajit Shukla ruled that students must strictly adhere to the dress codes established by educational institutions. In dismissing the petition, the bench observed that the petitioner failed to present sufficient religious evidence establishing that wearing a headscarf inside a school is an essential practice of Islam.
Details of the Petition and the Student Involved
The case originated from Tagore Public School under the Attarsuiya police station area in Prayagraj. Student Sukaina Rizvi, acting through her mother, had filed the petition after completing her tenth-grade examinations and applying for admission into the eleventh grade at the same institution. The bench noted that consistent judicial consensus maintains that wearing a hijab is not an obligatory tenet of the Islamic faith and that omitting it does not compromise personal belief.
Judicial Precedent: Reference to 2022 Karnataka High Court Verdict
While delivering the judgment, the Allahabad High Court explicitly cited the 2022 decision of the Karnataka High Court, which similarly concluded that wearing a hijab does not constitute an essential religious practice in Islam. The judges noted that no valid legal grounds were established in the present matter to take a divergent view from the precedent set by the Karnataka court.
Minister OP Rajbhar Questions Akhilesh Yadav over Verdict Response
Following the court's announcement, Cabinet Minister OP Rajbhar posted a message on the social media platform X directly questioning Akhilesh Yadav. Rajbhar pointed out that Samajwadi Party spokespersons were openly opposing the verdict and asked whether Yadav himself intended to take a stand against the decision of the High Court. He urged the opposition leader to break his silence and clearly state his stance regarding school dress codes and headscarves.
