Refuses to alter rules for community
Kerala High Court
Kochi: Kerala High Court on Tuesday permitted two students to wear hijab (head scarf) while attending the all-India pre-medical/pre-dental entrance test-2015. The court, however, refused to alter the rules for a particular community for the exam which would be held on July 25.
The court asked the two students Nadha Raheem of Palakkad and another to appear before the invigilators, one among them of the same sex, half an hour before the commencement of the examination. “The petitioners who intend to wear a dress according to their religious custom, but contrary to the dress code, shall present themselves before the invigilator half an hour before the examination, and on any suspicion expressed by the invigilator shall also subject themselves to any mode of personal search as decided by the invigilator,” it said.
If the invigilator feels that the head scarf or the full sleeve garments have to be removed and examined, then the petitioners also should subject themselves to that. Justice K. Vinod Chandran issued the order on two petitions seeking permission for the candidates to wear hijabs while writing the exams. The order is applicable only to the petitioners, the court said.
“In a nation like India with diverse religions and rules of conduct it cannot be insisted that a particular dress code mandated by a religion should be avoided so as to sit for the examinations,” the court observed. It said the apex court had asked the CBSE to curb the practice of copying. The order pointed to the ingenious means of electronic gadgets with wiring provided on the body itself which was camouflaged by the full-sleeve dress. The CBSE took the stand that the stipulation was not to harass any students, but to ensure that no untoward incident took place as in the earlier examination, which had led to the cancellation of exam by the Supreme Court.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
Next Story
