The Karnataka High Court, on Tuesday, dismissed petitions filed by Muslim girl students seeking permission to wear hijab in educational institutions. “Wearing of hijab is not essential religious practice of Islamic faith," the HC said.
Prescription of uniform is a reasonable restriction on fundamental rights, Live Law quoted the bench as saying. The full bench of the High Court comprising Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi, Justice Krishna S Dixit and Justice J M Khazi was constituted on February 9 on a petition filed by Muslim girls from Udupi who said that they should be allowed to wear hijab even inside the classroom along with the school uniform as it was part of their faith.
Ahead of the controversial verdict, the Bengaluru Police imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC in the city from March 15 to 22. "All types of gatherings, agitations, protests, or celebrations in public places are prohibited in Bengaluru," Kamal Pant, Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru said. Schools and colleges in Udupi district will remain closed on Tuesday.
As the issue of hijab versus saffron scarves spread to several educational institutions and violence broke out in many parts of Karnataka, the state government announced holiday from February 9 to February 15 in all the pre-university colleges and from February 9 to February 16 in degree and diploma colleges.
In its interim order, the bench had asked the state government to reopen the educational institutions, which were hit by the agitation, and restrained students from wearing hijab and saffron scarves in the classroom till the final order is delivered.
-with PTI inputs
