Maharashtra College Bans Jeans, T-Shirts, and Jerseys on Campus

Acharya Marathe College in Chembur, Maharashtra, has sparked controversy by banning jeans on campus and enforcing a formal dress code for male students. The official notice stated that students wearing jeans would not be allowed to enter the college premises.

The notice also specified that male students must wear formal attire, while female students are permitted to wear ethnic or Western dress, provided it does not reveal their religion. The notice emphasized that students should not wear any dress that displays religious affiliation or cultural disparity.

“Students can wear half shirts or full shirts and trousers. Girls can wear any Indian or Western outfit. Students shall not wear any dress which reveals religion or shows cultural disparity,” the notice read.

It further stated, “Nakab, Hizab, Burkha, Stole, Cap, Badge, etc., shall be removed while going to common rooms on the ground floor and then only they can move throughout the college campus. Torn jeans, T-shirts, revealing dresses, and jerseys are not allowed.”

Following the release of the notice, some students who did not attend college on the day the notice was issued were barred from entering the premises the next day due to the new dress code. In response, at least nine female students approached the Mumbai High Court to challenge the college’s order.