{
  "id": 3230114,
  "title": "Hijab Row: Here’s How Political Leaders And Religious Clerics Reacted To Allahabad HC Verdict On Wearing Hijab With School Uniform",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/25/hijab-row-heres-how-political-leaders-and-religious-clerics-reacted",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-25T08:17:45.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Press Journal",
    "slug": "free-press-journal",
    "url": "https://www.freepressjournal.in/india/hijab-row-heres-how-political-leaders-and-religious-clerics-reacted-to-allahabad-hc-verdict-on-wearing-hijab-with-school-uniform"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The recent decision of the Allahabad High Court rejecting a Muslim student's plea to wear a hijab alongside her school uniform has sparked a heated debate over religious freedom and dress codes in educational institutions. Political leaders and Muslim clerics have taken opposing stances on the ruling, with some endorsing the court's position and others criticizing it.\n\nState Minister Om Prakash Rajbhar, who belongs to the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party, wholeheartedly supports the court's decision, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a uniform dress code in schools. He maintains that the court's ruling aligns with constitutional principles and argues that permitting students to follow different religious attire in a school setting could undermine the principle of uniformity.\n\nShiv Sena leader Sanjay Nirupam also welcomed the court's verdict, stating that religious traditions should not override educational institution rules. He argues that while every religion has its customs, they should primarily be practiced at places of worship or at home when they conflict with institutional guidelines.\n\nIn contrast, Muslim religious leaders have strongly criticized the court's decision, particularly its assertion that the student had not sufficiently proven hijab as an essential religious practice. Maulana Khalid Rasheed, chairman of the Islamic Centre of India, maintains that hijab is an integral part of Islam, citing Quranic guidance on pardah. He contends that Muslim girls should be permitted to wear the hijab alongside the prescribed school uniform.\n\nRasheed argues that wearing the hijab serves to promote modesty and should not automatically be viewed as a violation of school rules. He also points out that religious symbols and practices followed by students from other communities should be granted similar consideration.\n\nShia religious leader Maulana Saif Abbas also opposes the verdict, asserting that the matter should ultimately be brought to the Supreme Court. He maintains that the Quran explicitly requires women to observe hijab and that the practice is integral to Islam. Abbas acknowledges that not every Muslim woman necessarily follows this practice, but he believes that the student's constitutional rights should be respected, and that the religious argument may not have been adequately established in the court's decision.",
  "summary": "The Allahabad High Court’s recent decision rejecting a Muslim student’s plea to wear a hijab along with her prescribed school uniform has triggered a fresh debate over religious freedom and dress codes in educational institutions, with political leaders and Muslim clerics taking sharply different positions on the order. The court, in its August 21 judgment, dismissed the plea filed by a minor…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}