Wearing Hijab Is Not Mandatory in Islam..! Allahabad High Court Delivers Key Verdict

The Allahabad High Court has dismissed a petition filed by a Muslim student seeking permission to wear a hijab or headscarf along with her school uniform. A bench comprising Justice J.J. Munir and Justice Inderjeet Shukla observed that the petitioner had failed to establish that wearing a hijab inside the classroom constituted an essential religious practice in Islam. In its August 21 judgment, the court also referred to earlier observations by various High Courts that wearing a headscarf is not an essential religious practice.

The court further held that schools have the authority to prescribe and enforce dress codes when they are applied uniformly and without discrimination to maintain discipline and institutional identity. The bench also referred to the Karnataka High Court’s decision concerning restrictions on hijab in educational institutions. The petitioner, a student of Tagore Public School in Prayagraj, claimed that she had been wearing a hijab since Class 6 but faced objections from the school when she entered Class 11. The court clarified that allowing the practice in the past did not create a legal obligation for the school to continue permitting it and dismissed the petition.