British Hindu boy’s father sues former school over ban on wearing tilak-chandlo

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LONDON: The father of a nine-year-old British Indian Hindu boy is suing his son’s former primary school in the high court, King’s Bench Division, for unlawful religious discrimination and harassment for not allowing him to wear a tilak-chandlo at school, a manifestation of his Hindu Swaminarayan faith.The father, funded by UK Hindu network Action for Harmony, as his son’s “litigation friend”, is seeking £25,000 in damages from the governing body of Vicar’s Green primary school in Alperton, a state school in Ealing borough, also claiming breach of public sector equality duty and interference with the boy’s Article 9 (freedom of religion) and Article 14 (prohibiting discrimination) ECHR rights.In the court papers, which TOI has seen, the father alleges that in Nov 2025 the child, then eight, was questioned about his tilak-chandlo by staff and told it was not permitted.His parents wrote to the school saying their son had worn it for four years and there was nothing in the school’s uniform policy prohibiting it. On Dec 12 the boy was removed from the school council, where he was a representative of his class. Next the school issued a new uniform policy prohibiting religious symbols. In Jan 2026 the parents withdrew their child from the school.The school, in its defence, disputes the whole claim, denying it unlawfully discriminated against the boy. “The prohibition on wearing the tilak-chandlo on the claimant’s forehead did not prevent him from practising Hinduism,” the school claims, adding “there were legitimate concerns that acceding to the claimant’s wearing of the tilak-chandlo… might have significant adverse consequences, including a breakdown in pupil cohesiveness”.The school questions whether the boy follows the Swaminarayan Hindu faith, “denies that it is obligatory to daily wear the mark on the middle of the forehead”, and alleges staff suggested the boy wear the symbol “on parts of his body that are covered”, which his parents rejected.Ambrish Limbachia, director of Ashray Law, representing the boy through his father, said: “This case raises important questions about religious freedom and equality in British education.”