Congress backs women’s right to choose attire, says bodily autonomy ‘firmly’ supported
Congress leader Pawan Khera stated that the party supports women's bodily autonomy and their right to choose their attire, regardless of religious or social background. This statement follows an Allahabad High Court ruling that wearing a hijab is not an essential religious practice in Islam.
Why it matters
The comments reflect the ongoing political debate in India regarding religious freedom, women's rights, and the intersection of personal choice with judicial interpretations of religious texts.
Congress leader Pawan Khera on Tuesday (August 25, 2026) said the party stood firmly for women’s bodily autonomy and agency, asserting that every woman, irrespective of her caste, class or religion, had the right to choose what she wore.
“Whether the hijab is essential to Islam or not is for religious scholars to decide. From a socio-political standpoint, we stand firmly for women’s bodily autonomy and agency,” Mr. Khera said in a post on social media platform X.
“Every woman, irrespective of caste, class or religion, is entitled to wear what she chooses — hijab, ghoonghat or anything else,” he said, using the hashtags #BreakTheCage and #SmashThePatriarchy.
His remarks came on a day when the Allahabad High Court, in an order, said wearing the hijab (headscarf) could not be established as an “essential religious practice” of Islam
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