Mumbai: Acharya & Marathe College Implements New Dress Code, Bans Jeans and T-shirts

Mumbai, 2nd July 2024: Recently, students at Acharya & Marathe College in Chembur were surprised to find themselves barred from entering the campus wearing jeans and T-shirts. This change came after the college implemented a new dress code, following the Bombay High Court’s dismissal of a student plea challenging an earlier dress code that prohibited hijabs and other religious attire.

Outlined in a notice titled “Dress Code and Other Rules” dated June 27, the new regulations prohibit torn jeans, T-shirts, revealing dresses, and jerseys. The notice, signed by Principal Dr Vidyagauri Lele, mandates that students must dress formally and decently while on campus, allowing for half-shirts or full-shirts paired with trousers. Girls have the option to wear either Indian or Western attire, but they are prohibited from wearing any clothing that displays religious or cultural differences. Additionally, religious items such as veils, hijabs, burkhas, stoles, caps, or badges must be removed in designated common rooms on the ground floor before moving around the college campus.

Ateeque Khan from the Govandi Citizens Association, responding to concerns raised by students, criticized the impracticality of the new dress code, which bans attire commonly worn by college students regardless of religion or gender. He noted that the college’s successive bans on hijabs last year and now jeans and T-shirts seem restrictive and unnecessary.

In defence of the dress code, the college administration argues that it aims to prepare students for the corporate world. Dr Lele emphasized that the intention is to promote decency in attire without enforcing a uniform, urging students to adopt formal attire—whether Indian or Western—similar to what they will be expected to wear in professional settings.

Dr. Lele pointed out that the dress code was communicated to students during admissions and expressed bewilderment at the current objections. She argued that considering students are on campus for only about 120-130 days out of the year, complying with a dress code should not pose a significant issue. The administration’s decision to introduce the new dress code reportedly stemmed from multiple incidents of indecent behaviour on campus by students.

Last year, the college faced controversy when it introduced uniforms for junior college students, which included a ban on hijabs and other religious identifiers. Despite legal challenges from nine students, the Bombay High Court upheld the college’s stance last month, stating that larger academic interests outweigh individual rights.

In May, the college drew attention to imposing a dress code on students in its degree college section, prohibiting not only religious attire like burkhas, niqabs, and hijabs but also jeans and T-shirts, as reiterated in the recent June 27 announcement.