New Delhi, Feb 9 (LAB) The Karnataka High Court which is hearing petitions filed by five women from a government college in Udupi against the hijab ban today referred the case to a larger bench in view of the important question raised by the petitioners impacting the social fabric of the country.
The three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi will hear the case tomorrow on the issue of whether schools and colleges can order students to not wear the hijab in classrooms.
Meanwhile the Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai today declared a three-day holiday for all educational institutions in order “to maintain peace and harmony” in the state. All gatherings and protests near educational institutions were banned in Bangaluru for two weeks from today.
The Chief minister’s announcement came after the escalating row over hijabs in schools and colleges of Karnataka. Amid protests in the state, right-wing groups have started targeting Muslim girls over their right to wear a hijab in classrooms.
The matter relates to a row that started on December 29, 2021, when seven girls of the Government Pre University college in Udipi entered the classroom wearing Hijabs. Earlier no such incident was seen as hijab was not allowed in the classrooms. Though wearing of Hijab was allowed in the College Campus but according to college rules, it was not permitted inside the classroom.
The girls wearing Hijabs were asked to leave the classroom and hence the row began. Many students said to be from the right-wing wore saffron-colored scarf and started shouting slogans. Sensing the row to become sour, the Chief Minister of Karnataka imposed a ban of three days and school colleges in the state have been closed. LAB/SNG/