Thiruvananthapuram:
A nun in Thiruvananthapuram was not allowed to take the All India Pre-Medical Test, or AIPMT, on Saturday as she refused to take off her veil and the Holy Cross.
The nun had also requested the exam centre's Principal for a separate room, where she could take the exam without a veil. But her request was denied.
The CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) has made it mandatory that no jewellery, scarfs, veils, electronic gadgets, watches, shoes can be worn in the exam hall. The rule was brought in after reports of irregularities at the AIPMT exam conducted this year.
On Friday, the Supreme Court upheld the board's directives, refusing to allow aspirants to wear a hijab during the exams, saying, "Your faith won't disappear if you appear for the exam without a scarf."
"I requested that I may be given a separate room where I will remove the veil and cross and write the test, but that was not allowed," the nun, Sister Feba, was quoted as saying by the news agency Press Trust of India.
The Principal told her that she was also a Christian and understood her plight, but as per CBSE guidelines, veil and Holy cross cannot be permitted inside the examination hall, PTI reported.
The top court's order had come days after the Kerala High Court allowed two Muslim girls to wear headscarves and long-sleeved dresses for an exam on July 25.
The high court had allotted the girls a separate space to the take the exams in presence of female invigilators, after a thorough check. The court had said that the female invigilators could remove veils and check them if there was any suspicion of foul play.