Gujarat HC notice to state govt on plea alleging religious profiling of Muslim candidates in board exams

The Gujarat High Court on Wednesday issued a notice to the state government on a public interest litigation (PIL) alleging "religious profiling" of Muslim candidates appearing for the board examinations.

Petitioner K R Koshty claimed every candidate applying online for Class 10 and 12 board examinations for 2019 has been asked to specify whether he or she is Muslim.

The PIL also challenged the government's decision to accept the forms online, saying that Internet connectivity in many parts of the state is poor.

Further, the forms seek Aadhaar details which is against the Supreme Court's recent judgement, it said.

A division bench of acting Chief Justice Anant Dave and Justice Biren Vaishnav sought replies from the state government, Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSHSEB) and the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) by December 6.

The online forms for the board exams conducted by GSHSEB have a column seeking to know whether the candidate belongs to a minority community, and if yes, whether he or she belongs to the "Muslim" or "Other" minority communities.

It is mandatory to fill in this information, as per the PIL.

The petitioner alleged that this amounted to a "religious profiling" of Muslim candidates and it is "unconstitutional".