Section 17: Exclusion of discrimination on account of race, religion, etc.

No person shall be required to satisfy requirements as to any of the following matters, that is to say, race (including ethnic grouping), sex, place of birth or of family origin, or religious or political persuasion as a condition of becoming or continuing to be a student at the University, the holder of any degree of the University or of any appointment or employment at the University, of a member of any body established by virtue of this Act; and no person shall be subjected to any disadvantage or accorded any advantage in relation to the University, by reference to any of these matters:
Provided that nothing in this section shall be construed as preventing the University from imposing any disability or restriction on any of the aforementioned persons where such person willfully refuses or fails on grounds of religious belief to undertake any duty generally and uniformly imposed on all such persons or any group of them, which duty, having regard to its nature and the special circumstances pertaining thereto, is in the opinion of the University reasonably justifiable in the national interest.