Asaduddin Owaisi Criticises Allahabad High Court Hijab Ruling at Darussalam Event

AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi strongly criticised the Allahabad High Court's dismissal of a petition seeking permission to wear a hijab with school uniforms, during an address at the party headquarters in Darussalam, Hyderabad, on Tuesday.

Speaking at the Jalsa-e-Rahmatul-lil-Alameen gathering, Owaisi termed the verdict an "attack on Islam" and argued that it violated Articles 19 and 25 of the Constitution of India. The underlying petition had been filed by a minor student from a school in Prayagraj.

The Allahabad High Court observed that the petitioner had failed to produce religious scripture or material establishing that wearing a headscarf was an essential religious practice. The court also noted that photographs presented during proceedings showed other students from the same community attending school without headscarves.

Owaisi contested the High Court's stance, noting that questions regarding essential religious practices remain pending before the Supreme Court in the Sabarimala case. He questioned the authority of the court to define essential aspects of Islam, stating that girls wear headscarves on their heads and not on their minds.

During his address, Owaisi also scrutinised the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code in Uttarakhand, Assam, and Gujarat. He questioned how laws derived from provisions of the Hindu Marriage Act, Hindu Divorce Act, and Hindu Succession Act could be classified as genuinely uniform codes for all religious communities.

The AIMIM chief further targeted the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Bharatiya Janata Party over historical debates surrounding the Constitution and the Manusmriti. He contrasted the record of V.D. Savarkar in the Andaman Cellular Jail with Muslim freedom fighters, citing Hyderabad's Maulvi Alauddin, the Imam of Mecca Masjid, as the first prisoner sent to Andaman, alongside Allama Fazl-e-Haq Khairabadi and Turrebaz Khan.

Owaisi concluded by reaffirming the commitment of Indian Muslims to the nation and its development, while stating that believers would continue to adhere to their faith under the Quran and Sunnah.