Don’t force students to reveal marital status in admission form of educational institutions: HC

The High Court on Thursday asked the authorities concerned not to force students to disclose their marital status in admission form in educational institutions, reports UNB.

The HC bench of justices Naima Haider and Md Khairul Alam passed the order after hearing a writ petition.

Deputy attorney general Amit Das Gupta represented the state.

On 14 November 2017, Fariha Ferdous and Nahid Sultana filed a writ petition attaching a report published in a national daily headlined “What the girl will do now?”.

According to the report, on 6 June 2013, a class X girl was raped but the rapists denied the allegation.

When the girl became pregnant, she was admitted to the one stop crisis centre of Rajshahi Medical College and hospital and she lodged a complaint against the rapist, said the report.

Police arrested the rapist and a DNA test proved that the rapist was the father of the child.

Later, a court ordered sending the girl to residential centre under Rajshahi division ‘Women Assistance Programme’ of the government.

During living at the centre, the girl appeared in the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examination and during her exam she gave birth to a baby boy on 19 February 2014.

Meanwhile, she passed the SSC exam with GPA 4.3 and appeared her Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examination from there.

Later, she was sent to her house and also passed the HSC exam with GPA 3.17.

On 30 May 2017, a court sentenced the rapist to life imprisonment and asked to bear the expenses of the baby boy. The court also fined him Tk one lakh

She was put in the category of married women during the public examinations though she was unmarried.

The girl was unable to fill up the admission form of a nursing college due to her marital status as she was not married and had a child.

On 11 December 2018, the HC issued a rule asking the government to explain as to why the option of marital status in admission process in educational institutions should not be declared unconstitutional.

The HC also issued another rule asking the government to explain as to why directives should not be given to formulate a meaningful policy in this regard.

The court also asked to take steps as the girl can get enrolled in a nursing college immediately.