Ambika bhardwaj
Published On: January 29, 2022 at 18:20 IST
The Kerala Government released an Order specifying that Hijab or any other Religious Symbol cannot be permitted as part of the Uniform of the Student Police Cadet (SPC) project.
As per the Order, the SPC is a voluntary co-curricular activity rather than a compulsory education programme.
It further stated that it envisages a Dress Code to encourage students to work towards Gender Justice, Non-Racial, and Non-Religious Discrimination among children.
The Order said the following-
“In the current situation, merging Religious matters with Uniforms would raise the similar requests in other functioning Forces which would undermine the Discipline and Secular survival of the Forces”.
The Order came after a direction from the Kerala High Court, which instructed the Government to take a Decision on the Appeal of an eighth-grade student, Riza Nahan, who had moved to the High Court for approval to wear a full-sleeved dress and a scarf to cover her head because of her Religious Practice.
In a Judgement dated September 20, 2021, the Court directed the girl to make a representation to the State’s Home Secretary by telling her Grievance.
On December 10, 2021, the Petitioner, her mother, the Additional State Nodal Officer and Superintendent of Police (Excise & Vigilance) of the Student Police Cadet Project attended the Online Hearing.
During the Hearing, the Petitioner told the Government that she was chosen as a Student Police Cadet of the school based on her academic performance. She also stated that the faculty in charge of the SPC programme told her that she would not be permitted to wear a Hijab over her Uniform.
It was noted that all Police Officers in Kerala wear the same Uniform, and no Religious Symbols are allowed in the Uniform. The same structure is used for Student Police Cadet as well.
Further, it was mentioned that no Religious Dress Code is permitted in the National Cadet Corps or Scouts and Guides.
Thus, the Request of the Petitioner was Denied.