TORONTO (Reuters) – A second Canadian judge suspended Quebec’s ban on face-coverings on Thursday, handing a victory to the law’s opponents who have challenged it on grounds that it discriminates against Muslim women and violates constitutional rights.

FILE PHOTO: Women in traditional garb gather to protest against Quebec’s proposed Charter of Values in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, September 14, 2013. REUTERS/Christinne Muschi/File Photo

The ban, which forbids face-coverings on anyone giving or receiving public services, was enacted last October. It affects everyone from teachers and students to hospital employees, police officers, bus drivers and transit users in the mostly French-speaking province.

While the law does not single out any religion by name, debate has focused on the niqab, a full-face veil worn by a small minority of Muslim women.