The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi girls' hostel on Tuesday asked its residents to wear 'full covered decent western or Indian dresses' on their House Day.
House day is an annual event at the institute where residents can invite guests in the hostel for an hour.
The event is scheduled for April 20.
The notice, put up at Himadri hostel and signed by the warden, was shared by the inmates with Pinjra Tod, an independent collective of students and alumni fighting against discriminatory rules for women in hostels, universities and colleges.
There are two girls' hostel at IIT Delhi, Himadri and Kailash.
A former student, who lived in the same hostel, said they were given such directions all the time though "no one really followed it and no one was punished for not following it".