France's highest court to rule on burkini ban

France's highest administrative court will review a request to overturn a ban on the burkini full body swimsuit, which is worn by some devout Muslim women.

The Human Rights League (LDH) is appealing against a ruling by a lower court, which upheld a ban on the swimsuit imposed on beaches in the Riviera town of Villeneuve-Loubet, west of Nice.

More than 30 French towns have followed Villeneuve-Loubet in imposing a ban, sparking debate on the right to freedom of religion, women's rights and the integration of France's Muslim community.

The Nice tribunal ruled on Monday that the ban in Villeneuve-Loubet was "necessary, appropriate and proportionate," following a series of terror attacks by Islamic extremists, including the Bastille Day attack in the city, in which 84 people were killed.

Thursday's ruling by the State Council, France's highest administrative court, will set legal precedent for municipalities across the country.

Anouar Kbibech, the head of the French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM), requested a meeting with French Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve to discuss growing concerns about the ban, after pictures were published of French police forcing a veiled woman on a beach in southern France to remove her tunic.

"We have seen images of police officers forcing a woman on a Nice beach to remove her tunic when she wasn't even wearing a burkini," the CFCM said.