The Kerala government has said that it cannot allow students to wear hijab and full sleeves as part of the uniform of Student Police Cadets. The government was considering a plea filed by Riza Nahan, an eighth standard student of GHSS, Kuttiadi in Kozhikode.

The plea was initially filed with the Kerala High Court which redirected it to the government. The government, after careful examination of the facts, was fully satisfied that the demand of the complainant is not considerable, the order copy said.

The government order also said that if such a waiver is considered in the Student Police Cadet project, similar demands will be made on other similar forces, which will significantly affect the secularism of the state.

“Therefore, it is not appropriate to give any indication such that the religious symbols are highlighted in the uniform under the Student Police Cadet project,” the order copy stated.

The Student Police Cadet (SPC) Project is a school-based initiative by Kerala Police, implemented jointly by the Departments of Home and Education, and supported by Departments of Transport, Forest, Excise and Local Self-Government.

The project trains high school students to evolve as future leaders of a democratic society by inculcating in them, respect for the law, discipline, civic sense, empathy for vulnerable sections of society and resistance to social evils.

The project also enables youth to explore and develop their innate capabilities, thereby empowering them to resist the growth of negative tendencies such as social intolerance, substance abuse, deviant behaviour, and anti-establishment violence.

Equally, it strengthens within them commitment towards their family, the community, and the environment.