KOCHI — The Kerala High Court on Friday has directed the state attorney to obtain instructions regarding a directive issued by the Deputy Director of Education (DDE), Ernakulam, asking St. Rita’s Public School, a CBSE-affiliated Christian management school, to allow a Muslim girl student to attend classes wearing a headscarf.
A bench of Justice V.G. Arun asked the state to provide guidance on the matter while refusing to grant an interim stay.
Counsel appearing for the school requested a stay, but the judge observed that “no coercive steps can be taken because it is a CBSE school”.
“You know nothing could be done. I am not passing an interim order for the sake of passing one. Let the State Attorney get instructions,” Justice Arun said.
In the writ petition, the school contends that the Kerala government has not enacted any law allowing religious attire in schools and that enforcing such permission would compromise the secular and inclusive ethos of educational institutions.
The school is seeking the quashing of the DDE’s notice and The High Court is expected to hear the matter further after the State provides its instructions.
The Class 8 girl student has not attended classes from last week after she was harassed for wearing the Hijab in the school. Her parents on Friday said that they are not going to send her to the school again. — With inputs from IANS
