Kerala Medical Students Seek Alternate For Hijab Inside OT

Seven medical students from the Thiruvananthapuram government medical college and hospital in Kerala have requested authorities to provide them with an alternative to hijabs to wear inside operation theatres.

Addressing the local media, the college principal, Dr. Linet J. Morris, said changing the attire inside operation theatres had some technical difficulties. However, he added that he would be calling the surgeons and infection control team for a meeting to discuss the issue.

Kerala Students Seek Hijab Alternate

He noted that the team would discuss the demands of the students regarding wearing long-sleeved robes with surgical hoods inside the operation theatres.

The students approached the principal and conveyed that they were finding it challenging to maintain a balance between wearing attire in accordance with their religious beliefs and hospital regulations.

Further, Dr. Morris said that the attire to be worn inside operation theatres was decided according to international norms, so any changes could be implemented only after detailed discussions and consultations.

in 2022, when school students requested hijabs and full-sleeve uniforms. The students approached the Kerala High Court with the petition. However, the court dismissed the girl student's plea, observing that it cannot direct an educational institution to consider the student's requests.

After the Karnataka Hijab row started last year with educational institutions restricting girl students from wearing hijab, the students appealed to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court verdict ended up stuck in a split verdict given in October 2022 by a two-judge bench consisting of Justice Hemant Gupta and Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia. As the verdicts of both judges opposed each other, the final verdict was put on hold, seeking a decision from a larger bench.

Hence, the decision of the Karnataka High Court is still valid, and college students are still not allowed to wear hijabs inside the campus. However, the students had appealed to the Supreme Court, seeking interim permission to wear hijab in college only during the examination period in February 2023. Chief Justice DY Chandrachud reportedly said that the court will take the matter into consideration and will soon come up with a decision.

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