HC gestures

Updated on: Wednesday, July 01, 2009

Chennai: 'Salwar kameez with dupatta and churidhar with dupatta are considered to be decent dresses.Insisting saree alone is a decent dress, could not be considered a fair decision of college authorities, Judge said.

Pointing out that no dress code had been prescribed either by the Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University or the college by way of rules and regulations, Justice K. Venkataraman said that the insistence of the college that the student wear only sarees and not salwar kameez with dupatta or churidar with dupatta was nothing but irrational and without any basis, and directed the college not to insist that the girl student, V. Kamalam, wear only a saree. 'Wearing salwar kameez/churidar dupattas cannot be considered as an indecent dress'

The case relates to the refusal of V Kamalam, a homeopathy internee, to wear saree during her internship at Venkateswara Homeopathic Medical College here. Saying that she was not used to wearing sarees, she wanted to be allowed to wear churidhar. When the management did not relent, she issued a legal notice and approached the National Commission for Women.
She then filed the present writ petition. The college claimed that the saree-only dress code was introduced only 'to instil and maintain discipline, dignity and decorum among the internees'.

'The dress, which covers the entire body, at no stretch of with imagination, could be considered as a dress which cannot be permitted in the college', the judge added

Also, the college did not have any rules that banned any dress other than saree during internship, Justice Venkataraman said. The medical university too clarified that it had no prescribed dress code for students.

HC gestures

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