Archive · 26 Aug 2026
Leaders Divide After Allahabad High Court Dismisses Hijab Plea
A student asked to wear a hijab with her school uniform.
The Allahabad High Court rejected her request.
The court said a headscarf is not an essential part of Islamic faith.
Chirag Paswan said people should generally be free to choose clothing based on personal choice and religious traditions.
Some BJP figures also said courts should not decide what people wear.
They said schools should manage their own uniform rules.
Asaduddin Owaisi disagreed and said the ruling attacked Islam and religious freedom.
Giriraj Singh criticised Owaisi for challenging the authority of the Constitution and law.
The Allahabad High Court dismissed a student’s plea to wear a hijab with her school uniform in Prayagraj.
The court said wearing a headscarf is not essential to Islamic faith for women.
Union minister Chirag Paswan said attire reflects personal choice and religious traditions and should not face interference.
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi called the ruling an attack on Islam and alleged it violated religious freedom.
The BJP said schools, rather than courts, should decide clothing rules, while Giriraj Singh criticised Owaisi’s position.
- Who
- A student, the Allahabad High Court, Union minister Chirag Paswan, BJP leaders, Asaduddin Owaisi and other political figures.
- What
- The court dismissed a plea seeking permission to wear a hijab with a school uniform, prompting debate over religious freedom, attire and school authority.
- When
- The judgment was issued on August 21; the political reactions were reported on Wednesday.
- Where
- The case concerned a school in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, and the reactions included comments in India’s political sphere.
- Why
- The court addressed whether wearing a headscarf was an essential part of Islamic faith and whether it could be worn with the school uniform.
Personal and Religious Freedom
Uniform Rules and Legal Authority
Who should decide clothing choices?
Personal and Religious Freedom
Chirag Paswan and BJP spokesperson Syed Zafar Islam said people should generally be free to dress according to personal choice, faith and cultural traditions, with courts avoiding interference.
Uniform Rules and Legal Authority
The BJP also said schools are a different setting because they have uniforms, and that school administrations should decide what may be worn there.
Meaning of the ruling
Personal and Religious Freedom
Asaduddin Owaisi called the judgment an attack on Islam and said it violated the constitutional right to freedom of religion.
Uniform Rules and Legal Authority
The Allahabad High Court held that wearing a headscarf was not an essential part of Islamic faith, while Giriraj Singh challenged Owaisi’s suggestion that Muslims should be governed by Sharia rather than the Constitution.
Role of courts
Personal and Religious Freedom
Paswan and Islam argued that courts should not determine what people of any religion wear and warned that such intervention could create complications.
Uniform Rules and Legal Authority
The court exercised its authority by ruling on the student’s plea, and Singh argued that the law of the land and Constitution should govern the matter.
- Court
- Allahabad High Court
- Judgment date
- August 21
- Location involved
- Prayagraj
- Court’s observation
- The court said wearing a headscarf was not an essential part of Islamic faith for a woman.
- Chirag Paswan’s position
- Attire should generally be treated as personal choice guided by religious traditions.
- BJP position
- Schools should decide clothing rules, rather than courts, provided laws are not violated.
- Owaisi’s response
- He described the ruling as an attack on Islam and alleged it violated constitutional religious freedom.