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India's Supreme Court Orders Reconsideration of Decision on School's No-Beards Policy

By Howard M. Friedman

On Friday, a two-judge panel of India's Supreme Court ordered reconsideration of a decision on enforcement of a Catholic schools' grooming policy that was handed down by a different panel of the Court in March (see prior posting). At issue is a Muslim student's challenge to his dismissal from Nirmala Convent Higher Secondary School because he refused to shave his beard. According to yesterday's The Hindu, the new decision stayed the school's order dismissing Mohammad Salim, saying that the order "needs to be reviewed afresh as the core issue of a Muslim's right to sport a beard as guaranteed by Article 25 of the Constitution [right to practise and profess one?s religion] was violated by the school." The Court's earlier oral decision was controversial because of comments by Justice Markandey Katju who said: "We don't want to have Taliban in the country."

Full post as published by Religion Clause on September 13, 2009 (boomark / email).