Kerala govt stands up for hijab as a 'right to secular education': The uniform debate comes back to India's classrooms

In Kerala, a controversy over a school uniform has again put the hijab at a crossroads of education, rights, and institutional freedom. On Friday, the state government informed the Kerala High Court that preventing a Muslim girl from attending school in her headscarf (hijab) was an "invasion" of privacy and dignity and a "denial of her right to secular education," PTI reports.

The affidavit, lodged against a petition by St. Rita's Public School, Palluruthy, Kochi, put the issue in the context of basic freedoms under a secular constitution. The state contended that the right of a student to appear in the headscarf "does not stop at the school gate," asserting that uniformity cannot anticipate constitutional liberty.

From classroom rule to courtroom argument

The issue started when the church-run St. Rita's Public School objected to a General Education Department directive permitting the student to go to classes wearing her hijab. The minority institution, affiliated with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), said the directive was "illegal" and out of the department's jurisdiction.

In its affidavit, the state government maintained that the Education Department has "sufficient functional, financial and administrative control" in certain areas over CBSE-affiliated schools, citing the Affiliation Bye-Laws and connected government orders.

The parents of the student, at the time of the hearing, told the court that they had withdrawn the girl and had applied elsewhere. The court, accepting the withdrawal, did not find it appropriate to investigate the contentious points further. Justice V. G. Arun noted that "better sense has prevailed" and that "fraternity", a pillar of constitutional values, was not disturbed, PTI adds.

The state's stand: Rights and reconciliation

Some days back, Kerala Education Minister V. Sivankutty had responded directly to the controversy. "The decision of the school officials was unconstitutional," he stated, continuing to add that "a child's rights cannot be denied," reports ANI.

He called on schools to come up with a proper headscarf that could be integrated into the school uniform as a reasonable middle way. If schools do not obey, the government will take serious action, the minister warned.

Sivankutty also warned against efforts to make such disputes communal flashpoints and urged that they be settled at the institutional level. "The government's position is very clear," he said. "We will strictly follow the rights under the Constitution and applicable court orders." 

A broader trend: India's changing uniform debate

The St. Rita's episode is only the newest in a long chain of hijab controversies that have been besetting India on a national level. These controversies highlight the manner in which institutions of learning and higher education are finding it difficult to achieve the fine balance between the maintenance of the rule of the institution and the respect for individual freedom. Governments from Kerala and Karnataka to Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh have wrestled with these issues: To what extent can there be a uniform policy without encroaching on freedom of religion?

Ten students in Chatra, Jharkhand, accused a principal of stripping them of their hijabs in July 2025, but the charge turned out to be baseless, say district authorities. In May 2025, an investigation was initiated after a Khalsa Girls Inter College, Meerut student came into focus claiming that she was disallowed from wearing a hijab, informs TNN.

In Uttar Pradesh's Bijnor, students were let go for refusing to comply with instructions on the color of scarves to wear, and in Karnataka, an assistant professor was accused of requiring students on a field trip to wear hijabs.

In each of these, the outcomes have been different. Some through negotiation, some through confrontation, but collectively they identify that there is no uniform policy framework.

Uniformity, autonomy, and the line in the constitution

Indian classroom hijab disputes are no longer a solo event. They are the persistent conflict between constitutional freedom and institutional uniformity. The schools can urge unity and equality with dress codes, but the government must yet ensure personal choice without sacrificing order‍‍‌‍‍‌.

The federal structure introduces yet another layer: states construct rules differently and managements filter these regulations through their own administrative and cultural filters. What results is a patchwork of local solutions as opposed to a national consensus.

The administrative question still stands, nonetheless. Can there be one uniform that is absolute?

True, the Kerala experience suggests that the solution will have to be found not in judicial decisions but in wise policymaking. Anything else would render governance a vicious circle of responding to scandals, and schools laboratories of more ideological battles.