Wearing a headscarf has not been established as an ‘essential religious practice’ for women in Islam: Allahabad HC

The Allahabad High Court recently held that wearing a headscarf could not be established as an “essential religious practice” of Islam. The observation was made in a case involving a Muslim student’s demand to wear a hijab with her school uniform.

A Division Bench of Justices J.J. Munir and Indrajeet Shukla, in an order of August 21, 2026, dismissed the petition filed by a Class 11 student seeking permission to wear a headscarf along with the prescribed uniform at the Tagore Public School in Prayagraj.

In her plea, the student had argued that wearing the scarf was an essential religious practice protected by her fundamental rights under Articles 14 and 19(1)(a) of the Constitution. She had worn a headscarf at the same school from Class 6 onwards without objection, she said.