Navaneethum Pillay, Sunali's mother, argued that her daughter should wear her nose piercing as South Africa's Constitution protects religious freedom and diversity in schools. The Pillays eventually won the court case against the school, with Chief Justice Pius Langa declaring in 2007 that:
Navaneethum Pillay, Sunali's mother, argued that her daughter should be allowed to wear her nose piercing because South Africa's Constitution protects religious freedom and diversity in schools. The Pillays ultimately won the court case against the school, with Chief Justice Pius Langa ruling in 2007 that: