The Allahabad High Court has dismissed a petition filed by a Class XI student of Tagore Public School, Prayagraj, challenging the school’s uniform policy and seeking permission to wear a headscarf (hijab), according to NDTV.
A two-judge bench comprising Justices JJ Munir and Indrajit Shukla reportedly held that an unaided private educational institution has the authority to prescribe and enforce a uniform dress code on its premises. It observed that permitting individual students to modify the prescribed uniform based on personal or religious preferences could undermine the purpose of a uniform and institutional discipline.
The bench also found that the petitioner had not produced sufficient factual or legal material to establish that wearing a headscarf is an essential religious practice in Islam. The court further noted that no other student in the school, including students from the same community, was wearing a headscarf.
The petition was opposed by the school administration, the Uttar Pradesh government and the CBSE.