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A day after the Allahabad High Court rejected a Muslim girl’s petition seeking to wear a headscarf at school, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi termed the ruling an “attack on Islam", saying it was not for judges to decide what is essential to Islam and what is not.

“It is our religion, and we will decide what is essential. Who are the judges to decide? This is an attack on our religion," Owaisi said, according to NDTV. 

On August 21, the Allahabad HC held that no student has the right to alter the dress code prescribed by an educational institution as per their personal preferences. The Court rejected the petition filed by a minor girl seeking permission to wear a headscarf (hijab) in addition to the uniform prescribed by the school.

News18 Also Covered: ‘Hijab Not Essential To Islam’: Allahabad HC Rejects Student’s Plea To Wear Headscarf

A two-judge bench comprising Justices JJ Munir and Indrajit Shukla dismissed the petition filed by Sukaina Rizvi, a minor student of Tagore Public School in Prayagraj.

It also rejected the argument that wearing hijab is an essential practice in Islam. “Wherever this issue has arisen, the High Courts have been unanimous in opinion that wearing a headscarf is not essential part of the Islamic faith for a women to don, in the absence of which, faith would be jeopardized".

Owaisi argued that the Supreme Court is already hearing the matter concerning essential religious practices in relation to Sabrimala, stating that the Allahabad judges “should not have ruled on the matter".

“The Allahabad High Court order is against Articles 19 and 25 of the Constitution," he said, NDTV reported.

Owaisi, also an MP from Hyderabad, backed the girl’s demand to wear a hijab, saying: “She is wearing hijab on her head, not on her mind".

He claimed that the ruling will hamper girls’ education. “In UP, enrolment of Muslim girls in secondary schools is the lowest. They want to stop education of Muslim girls."

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati weighed in on the row over hijab, stressing that such issues should be resolved on local levels and that no one should engaged in “narrow politics".

In a post on ‘X’, Mayawati wrote: “As is universally known, the most revered Baba Saheb Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar, by presenting a secular constitution that grants egalitarian rights to all—humanitarians, welfare-oriented individuals, and followers of every caste and religion—has united the entire nation into a single bond, thereby guaranteeing the creation of a strong India. Under this framework, everyone has the right to live a peaceful and happy life based on the scriptures of all religions and their religious customs and beliefs. Rather than ignoring this right or interfering in it, all should respect its sanctity."

1. जैसाकि सर्वविदित है कि परमपूज्य बाबा साहेब डा. भीमराव अम्बेडकर ने मानवतावादी, कल्याणकारी व सभी जाति-धर्मों के मानने वालों को एक-समान समतामूलक अधिकार देने वाला सेक्युलर संविधान देकर पूरे देश को एक कड़ी में जोड़ कर सशक्त भारत बनाने की गारण्टी सुनिश्चित की है और इसके तहत् सभी…— Mayawati (@Mayawati) August 26, 2026

“In this regard, matters such as women’s dignity, honor, veiling, and protecting their self-respect and pride through such means should be viewed with the same sensitivity. As for the issue of wearing uniforms, veils, headscarves, hijabs, and the like in schools, instead of exaggerating these matters and turning them into legal disputes in courts, they should be resolved at the local level through mutual understanding and wisdom between school management and the administration. This way, no one gets the opportunity to exploit them for narrow political gains", she argued.

The Allahabad High Court's ruling could hinder the education of Muslim girls in Uttar Pradesh, as their enrolment in secondary schools is already the lowest.