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Bangladesh - Burqa Can't Be Forced: High Court
The court also ordered relevant officials to explain why forcing
girls to wear burqa (veil) and keeping them out of sports and cultural
activities were illegal.
August 23 2010
In it's ruling The High Court on Sunday in a suo moto order directed the
government to ensure that no women were forced to wear veil or religious dress
in the educational institutions and offices.
The court also ordered the government to ensure that the cultural activities
and sports in the educational institutions are not restricted.
The orders came in the wake of a public interest petition filed by Supreme
Court lawyers Mahbub Shafi and A K M Hafizul Alam on Sunday.
The bench of justices A H M Shamsuddin Chowdhury and Sheikh Mohammad Zakir
Hossain also ruled that they cannot be barred from taking to culture and sports
The court also ordered relevant officials to explain why forcing girls to wear
burqa (veil) and keeping them out of sports and cultural activities were
illegal.
The A Bengali daily news item said that principal of the college in Natore (
The HC also directed principal of the college Mozammel Haque to appear before
the HC bench on August 26 to explain the matter.
It also issued a rule upon the government to explain why imposition of
restriction on cultural activities and sports in the educational institutions
and offices and forcing the female students to wear veil should not be declared
illegal.
Secretaries to the ministries of home, education, social welfare and women
affair and principal Mozammel Haque has been made respondent to the rule and
order
The education, home, social welfare, and women and children affairs secretaries
and principal of Rani Bhabani Mohila College Mozammel Huq were asked to reply
to ruling. Following a brief hearing, the court also asked the principal to
appear before it on Aug 26.
The lawyers in their petition on Sunday cited a report carried by a Bengali
newspaper the same day headlined, 'Burqa mandatory at
The lawyers stated such enforcement was discriminatory.