Allahabad HC rejects UP student's plea to wear hijab in school

The Allahabad High Court dismissed a petition filed by a UP student seeking permission to wear a hijab along with her school uniform. The court ruled that there was no sufficient evidence to establish that wearing a headscarf is an essential religious practice in Islam. Photographic evidence presented before the bench showed that no other students, including those from the same community, wore headscarves in school. The court also noted an absence of factual basis to support the claim of religious necessity. Earlier rulings by the same High Court had similarly held that the hijab is not integral to the practice of Islam.