Old Bombay HC judgement viral as recent verdict on Hijab ban

Post the Karnataka Hijab verdict, a claim is in circulation that the Bombay High Court has passed an order that Muslim students in Mumbai can wear the gown, scarf, or hijab to their respective educational institutions.

The claim is viral with a Hindi caption that reads, “In a groundbreaking decision made by the Bombay High Court, the court has said that no educational institution has the right to stop students from attending their classes because they wish to wear the hijab, gown or scarf.” The caption also mentions that this is a direct reply to the decision made by the Karnataka high court regarding the Hijab verdict. The disparity in the decisions made on the same issue by the high courts of two states has also been highlighted in the caption.

[Original Hindi text: बॉम्बे हाईकोर्ट का बड़ा फैसला👇 अगर कोई #मुस्लिम_छात्रा शिक्षा प्राप्त करने के लिए गाउन स्कॉर्फ या हिजाब पहनना चाहती है तो कॉलेज के मैनेजमेंट को रोकने का कोई अधिकार नहीं है 👍 कर्नाटक हाईकोर्ट के फैसले का मुँहतोड़ जवाब👍👌
एक देश, दो क़ानून]

The same claim is also being shared using two photos. One of the images is that of female students in headscarves and another image is the screenshot of a News18 article with the headline “Bombay High Court allows student to wear hijab and go to college”.

बॉम्बे हाईकोर्ट का बड़ा फैसला👇

अगर कोई #मुस्लिम_छात्रा शिक्षा प्राप्त करने के लिए गाउन स्कॉर्फ या हिजाब पहनना चाहती है
तो कॉलेज के मैनेजमेंट को रोकने का कोई अधिकार नहीं है 👍

कर्नाटक हाईकोर्ट के फैसले का मुँहतोड़ जवाब👍👌
एक देश, दो क़ानून pic.twitter.com/rOYzb8tDzT

— Shaikh Zareen زرین_INC (@ShaikhZareen7) March 17, 2022

⭕🗣️ बॉम्बे हाईकोर्ट का बड़ा फैसला
🟢अगर कोई मुस्लिम छात्रा शिक्षा प्राप्त करने के लिए, गाउन स्कॉर्फ या हिजाब पहनना चाहती है तो कॉलेज के मैनेजमेंट को रोकने का कोई अधिकार नहीं है
कर्नाटक हाईकोर्ट के फैसले का मुँहतोड़ जवाब
एक देश, दो क़ानून !!#HijabIsOurPride #HijabisOurRight pic.twitter.com/jbMEYgxUpG

— Farhan PerfeCt ᴛʜᴇ ɴᴀᴍᴇ ɪs ᴇɴᴏᴜɢʜ (@FarhanPerfect1) March 17, 2022

The claim has been shared by multiple users on both Twitter and Facebook.

Fact Check:

We performed a Google reverse image search on the picture that has Muslim students in headscarves and found that the image was used in an article by IndiaTV and was taken at PU college in Udupi. The image has been credited to PTI.

Based on the screenshot of the News18 article, we performed a keyword search and found that the article was published on March 15, 2018. It was about a Bombay High Court order regarding a Writ Petition filed by a Muslim student of Sai Homeopathic Medical College in Mumbai. She appealed to the court to issue directions for the college to allow her to appear for her examinations and attend classes wearing hijab or to transfer her to a college where she can practice her religious beliefs freely.

The petition was filed on November 30, 2017, and was disposed off on March 12, 2018. We retrieved the case details from the official website of Bombay High Court, a screenshot of which is attached here.

Furthermore, we found two separate reports by The Asian Age and DNA India on the same incident. The reports reveal that after hearing the two sides, the court disposed off the petition since the issue was resolved between the parties.

Hence, the claim that the Bombay High Court has passed a judgement allowing students to wear the hijab to college recently is false. The judgement was passed in 2018 regarding a single discreet incident and has no connection to the Karnataka High Court’s Hijab verdict.