SC rejects a Muslim boy’s plea to sport beard in school

In a path breaking ruling Supreme Court has rejected the plea of a Muslim student that he should be permitted to sport beard in his convent school.

Supreme court said that secularism cannot be overstretched and that “Talibanisation” of the country cannot be permitted.

“We don’t want to have talibans in the country. Tommorow a girl student may come and say that she wants to wear a burqa, can we allow it,” Justice Markandeya Katju speaking for a bench headed by Justice Raveendran observed.

Student Mohammad Salim of Nirmala Convent Higher Secondary School, a government-recognised minority institution in Madhya Pradesh, has sought quashing of the school regulation requiring students to be clean-shaven.

Salim’s counsel Justice (retd) B A Khan argued before the bench that sporting beard was an indispensable part of Islam. But Justice Katju was apparently not impressed with the argument and quipped “But you (Khan) don’t sport a beard?” the judge asked the counsel.

Pointing out that Sikh community members were allowed to keep a beard and sport a turban, Salim alleged there was a clear discrimination on part of the school to force him to be clean shaven and this rule was violative of his fundamental rights.

“You can join some other institution if you do not want to observe the rules. But you can’t ask the school to change the rules for you,”Justice Katju observed.

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