Hijab row : order has been challenged in the Supreme Court after Karnataka HC upholds ban

Hijab row: The hijab is not an essential religious practice, the Karnataka High Court said as it backed a ban on hijabs in classrooms today, weeks after violent protests in many parts of the state against the restriction. Hijab row: order has been challenged in the Supreme Court after Karnataka HC upholds ban.

The order has been challenged in the Supreme Court by Niba Naaz, a student who was not among the five who had originally petitioned against the hijab ban. Karnataka High Court today dismissed petitions challenging a ban on Hijab in education institutions in the state.

The Karnataka High Court cited the fact that wearing Hijab is not an essential religious practice of Islam. The bench also noted that no case is made out for invalidating the Government Order of 5 February. The Udupi and Shivamogga district administrations had decided to keep the schools and colleges shut on Tuesday.

As the Karnataka HC was scheduled to deliver a verdict on the plea challenging Hijab ban in state educational institutions, to avoid any untoward incidents. “We are of the considered opinion that wearing of Hijab by Muslim women does not form a part of essential religious practice in Islamic faith,” Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi who headed the full bench of the High Court said reading out portion of the order.

The other two judges in the panel were Justice Krishna S Dixit and Justice J M Khazi. The bench also maintained that the government has power to issue impugned government order dated February 5, 2022 and no case is made out for its invalidation. By the said order, the state government had banned wearing clothes which disturb equality, integrity and public order in schools and colleges.

The court also rejected the plea to initiate a disciplinary inquiry against the college, its principal and a teacher. “In the above circumstances, all these writ petitions being devoid of merits are liable to be and accordingly are dismissed. In view of the dismissal of the writ petition, all the pending applications fell into insignificance and are accordingly disposed off,” the bench said in its order.

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Kamal Pant, Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru, said all types of gatherings, agitations, protests, or celebrations in public places are prohibited in the city for one week from 15-21 March.