The High Court (HC) yesterday adjourned for a month the hearing and delivering of its order on a writ petition filed to ensure female students’ right to wear the burqa in school. The HC bench of Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury and Justice Md Ashraful Kamal adjourned for a month the hearing of arguments from the both sides and delivering of its order on the petition.

Talking to The Independent, advocate Sheikh Omar Sharif, counsel for the petitioner, said that although the HC bench was supposed to deliver its order on Thursday (yesterday), it did not deliver the order and kept the matter stand over for a month. He also said that the HC bench asked him to submit a report before the bench

within a month over the alleged incidents of harassment of schoolgirls who wore burqas to class. Advocate Omar Sharif and advocate Md Ahsan filed the writ on January 17 on behalf of Daily Al Ehsan, Al Bayinat magazine editor Allama Md Mahbub Alam, and Allama Abur Khayer Md Azizullah, the khatib of Taj Jama Mosque in Dhaka. Omar Sharif says the writ is a response to incidents of harassment of schoolgirls who wore burqas to class.

The petition sought the HC’s order on effective measures to ensure the right of female students to wear burqas in the classroom. It also sought a rule asking the government to explain why action should not be taken against schools and headmasters who prevented students from wearing burqas.

The education secretary, home secretary and director general of the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education were made respondents to the writ. The writ claimed that all Muslims are obligated to wear religious attire and anyone has the right to wear their religious clothing over their uniforms.

The petition said that Article 41 of the Constitution guarantees the right of all citizens to accept and practise any religion. So, preventing students from wearing the burqa infringes on their constitutional right, it added.  There are 12 countries in the world that have instituted a regional or national ban on wearing of burqas by women, including eight European nations.