Kerala’s hijab row: Explained – The Hindu

The story so far: A church-run school affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education in Kerala’s Ernakulam district hit the headlines after the parents of a Class 8 student alleged that the management refused to permit her attend classes wearing a hijab (headscarf). The St. Rita’s Public School in Palluruthy in Kochi under the Latin Catholic Church remained closed on October 13 and 14, 2025 to “avoid a possible tense situation triggered by the controversy”. The Kerala High Court asked the Police to provide adequate protection on a plea by the school management against alleged “threats and intrusion by a few against its uniform policy”. The escalating row over political and religious lines eased on October 14, 2025 after the parent agreed to adhere to the rules and regulations prescribed by the management following his parleys with a delegation comprising Hibi Eden, Member of Parliament representing the Ernakulam Lok Sabha constituency. Kerala’s Minister for General Education V. Sivankutty, who had asked the school management to permit the student attend the classes wearing a hijab on October 14, softened his stance the next day following the conciliatory move while saying that “let the issue be laid to rest, if there is a consensus”.

How did the issue snowballed into a controversy?

The school authorities raised a flag when the student appeared on the campus on October 7 wearing a hijab. The Principal informed the parents that it violated the uniform policy that “applied equally to all students, irrespective of religion, caste, or community”. As pert the school diary, girls need to wear pants, shirt and an overcoat. The management pointed out that the student had complied with the uniform policy since the start of the new academic year in June and they had raised an objection only after she came to the campus wearing a hijab. The petition filed by the school authorities before the Kerala High Court seeking Police protection stated that the “uniform rule had been in place for nearly three decades and nobody had violated it in the past”. They also accused the father of the student of creating a ruckus with a few outsiders on October 10, 2025 to press his demand. The parents rejected the allegations and blamed the management for not respecting their faith and beliefs.

What happened after the parents filed a complaint before the General Education Department?

An inquiry was ordered by the Minister for General Education on October 13 after the parents lodged a complaint. The district education authorities submitted a report alleging that the management had violated the fundamental rights of the student. It also accused the school authorities of having “denied the student her right to education by making her stand outside the class for violating the institution’s dress code”. The management, which rejected the allegation, submitted a reply on October 15, 2025 saying that they had never prevented the student from attending the classes even after the issue had emerged in the public domain. They highlighted a decision by the Kerala High Court in 2018 in a similar case that school managements have the right to frame the rules and regulations related to school uniform. They said that the court had stated that “a private entity has the fundamental right to manage and administer its institution as one enjoyed the liberty to choose the dress of their choice”. The school resumed functioning on October 15, 2025, though the student did not turned up citing health reasons. The management has decided to collect an affidavit from the parents stating that they will comply with the uniform policy of the institution.

What were the after-effects of the controversy?

A flip-flop on the part of the General Education Minister, who initially asked the management to permit the student to continue wearing the headscarf, helped those in favour of it, including the Social Democratic Party of India raise a demand that the Minister’s directive should be implemented in schools across the State. Kerala’s Opposition Leader V. D Satheesan accused the government of aiding the interests of the communal forces by making such “thoughtless remarks”. Bharatiya Janata Party’s State general secretary M. T Ramesh accused Mr. Sivankutty of toeing the line of those trying to reap benefits out of the controversy. The Kerala Latin Catholic Association have also come out against attempts to politicise the issue and portray the educational institution in bad light. Mr. Sivankutty has blamed the school management and the Parent Teacher Association of trying to “politicse the issue”.