By Raqib Hameed Naik, TwoCircles.net
New Delhi: Even as the Supreme Court is likely to hear at 12 noon on Friday a case by SIO seeking quashing of the CBSE notification that had imposed a dress code on students ahead of the July 25 All India Pre-Medical / Pre-Dental Entrance Test (AIPMT), the Central Board of School Education (CBSE) on Wednesday softened it stand and allowed candidates to wear customary dresses.
The July 9 notification had cause widespread uproar across India, especially among young girls from minority community. Initially, the notification issued by the CBSE on July 9 had asked students to follow a particular dress code which included wearing light color clothes with half sleeves shirt /T shirt / Kurta.
As scarf and full sleeve kurta is traditionally followed by Muslim girls as part of their religious obligation, the dress code had sent shock waves among Muslim female candidates who were preparing to appear at the AIPMT.
After much hue and cry from all quarters and sustained media campaign, CBSE on Wednesday softened it stand by issuing a ‘Public Notice’ terming dress code as an advisory to prevent inconvenience caused from checking by metal detectors to the students appearing in the entrance examination and allowed students to wear customary dresses.
The Part (6) of ‘Public Notice’ issued by CBSE reads as follow, “Dress code is suggested to avoid delay in entry in the examination centre and to avoid inconvenience to the candidates during frisking by metal detectors. Candidates wearing customary dress or such candidates appearing from centers in extreme climatic conditions should ensure their presence for frisking by metal detectors at least half an hour before the last reporting time i.e. 9.30 am,” reads the statement.
Earlier in the week, Kerala High Court had granted conditional permission to two Muslim girls to appear for the test wearing hijab.
The CBSE would be conducting afresh the All India Pre-Medical Test on July 25, after the Supreme Court set aside the 2015 All India Pre-Medical Entrance Test (AIPMT) last month over irregularities in the conduct of the exam.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is expected to hear the case filed by Students Islamic Organisation (SIO) in front of Chief Justice (Item 72 of Court 1) on Friday around 12.00 noon.
Alif Shakoor, SIO general secretary, said in a release that the case is a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed before the Supreme Court under article 32 of the Constitution of India in order to seek redress for the injustice caused to many students by the notification dated July 9 bearing number CBSE/AIPMT/RE/
2015/3282 issued by CBSE.
The case is filed against AIPMT dress code through their advocates Sanjay Dhigde, Shadan Farasat and Abubakr Sabbaq Subhani. “The SIO had sought quashing of the notification issued by the CBSE. Mariam Naseem, Ayesha Khan, Shabana Bano (candidates AIPMT/AIPDT) and Layeeq Ahmed Khan, national secretary, SIO of India, are the petitioners on behalf of the Students Islamic Organisation of India (SIO), said Shakoor.
He also added: “We are hopeful of Hon’ble Supreme court’s decision in favour of our students.”
The SIO of India has demanded immediate quashing of rule 6(c) and 7(a) of the notification number CBSE/AIPMT/RE/2015/3282, which will relax larger interest of student community to uphold their values, and SIO believes that AIPMT re-test will be conducted without any irregularities, the statement added.
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AIPMT prescribes dress code for medical entrance: bans cap, scarf, full sleeves, shoes, tabeez