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Post Info TOPIC: SC upholds ban on hijab and long sleeves in pre-medical test


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SC upholds ban on hijab and long sleeves in pre-medical test
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SC upholds ban on hijab and long sleeves in pre-medical test

Hijab

 
For AIPMT, the CBSE has issued an examination dress code for students making it difficult for them to hide chits or gadgets.(Representative photo)



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Jul 26 2015 : The Times of India (Chennai)
 
Face-off over faith: Many skip AIPMT
New Delhi:
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
 
 
Nun, Muslim Student Refuse To Remove Religious Attire, Decide Not To Take Test
A 20-year-old Lucknow student on Saturday opted out of the All-India Pre Medical Test (AIPMT) as she did not want to take off her abaya (loose overgarment worn with a headscarf) in line with the Supreme Court order upholding the ban on headscarves and long sleeves during the exam.

“I would rather not take the exam than put my religious sentiments at stake,“ said Rehana*, who has been wearing the abaya since childhood. She said she was asked to take off the abaya and take the exam with her headscarf on.

Rehana said this was not the end of her aspiration to become a doctor.

“This would have been my first attempt at AIPMT, but I do not mind wasting a year and appearing for the Uttar Pradesh Combined Pre-Medical Test if the call is a ban on my attire or my thinking. I do not regret taking this stand,“ she said.

Rehana, who had taken a year off to prepare for the exam, was not alone. In Thiruvananthapuram, 19-year-old nun Sr Seba was not allowed to take AIPMT after she refused to remove her head veil and cross attached to it.

The nun, who attended coaching classes for a year for the test, said she was aware of the Supreme Court order.

“But I thought that the school would permit me to use the head veil after frisking and I reached the centre by 8am. I was subjected to checking at 8.30am and was waiting in the line when the principal approached me, demanding that I remove the veil to write the exam,“ Seba told TOI.

She agreed to remove the veil but pleaded that she be allowed to cover her head with a scarf. But Sathyadas, the principal of the school where her examination centre was located, said he understood her religious sentiments but had no choice but to comply with the order.

“I then consulted my mother provincial over the phone.My superiors informed me that Ishould not remove my veil as it was against our custom. Fol lowing this, I came back to convent without writing the exam,'' she said.

The principal said they did not allow Seba into the exam hall since she was not ready to be frisked. “We were given written guidelines to be followed for the conduct of the examination. She was not ready to allow anybody to even touch her veil,'' Sathyadas said. Cardinal Baselios Mar Cleemis of Malankara Catholic Church said the incident was disturbing and raised questions regarding the rights of a citizen.

“We do not wish to rake up a controversy over the issue but it is disturbing to note that the nun was not allowed to wear her religious paraphernalia even though she was ready to undergo security check. What is it that is being targeted -religious symbols or exam malpractices?“ The strict dress code, which barred students from wearing full-sleeved shirts, metallic items and shoes as well, forced five baptized Sikh students in Punjab, Chandigarh and Jaipur to remove their articles of faith before taking the exam.

Three baptized Sikh students were allowed to take the test in Bathinda after they removed their `kirpans' (small swords) and `karas' (iron bangles).

Girl students Gurpreet Kaur and Harsimrat Kaur, too had to leave their articles of faith behind before taking the exam. At a centre in Chandigarh's Sector-47, Karanbir Singh from Patiala was asked to remove his `kara' and sword before he was allowed to take the test.

(*name changed)

26_07_2015_013_005_010.jpg

 



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Jul 27 2015 : The Times of India (Chennai)
 
IUML flays SC order on dress code
Thiruvananthapuram:
TNN
 
 
 
After a nun was prevented from appearing for the pre-medical entrance exam on July 25 because she refused to remove her head veil, Congress and Indian Union Muslim League lashed out at the Supreme Court's order that had made the CBSE's dress code for the exam binding.

The dress code disallowed examinees from wearing head scarves and the hijab.

IUML leader E T Muhammed Basheer termed the verdict unjustifiable. “The observations made by the Supreme Court are wrong. The court has no right to comment on religious faith. It is natural that the verdict of the Supreme Court will become the law. Hence the verdict is unacceptable and wrong,'' he said. KPCC president V M Sudheeran said the decision impinged on the freedom of faith and rituals followed by religions. The Centre, he said, should take effective steps to prevent such decisions that affect the sentiments of people. Chief min ister Oommen Chandy , however, chose to be diplomatic, saying in Kochi that he can respond only after studying the issue. BJP reacted strongly against the IUML leadership, accusing it of indulging in “communal politics“. ` “Those who are not ready to accept the verdict of the Supreme Court should rethink whether they have the right to continue as citizens of the country ,“ BJP state president V Muraleedharan said.



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