Bengaluru:The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday dismissed various petitions challenging a ban on Hijab in education institutions and said that wearing Hijab is not an essential religious practice of Islam. A bench of Karnataka High Court comprising Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi, Justice Krishna S Dixit, and Justice JM Khazi said that no case is made out for invalidating the Government Order of February 5. Earlier, the High Court had reserved its order on various petitions challenging the ban on hijab in educational institutions.
The hijab protests in Karnataka began in January this year when some students of Government Girls PU College in the Udupi district of the state alleged that they had been barred from attending classes. During the protests, some students claimed they were denied entry into the college for wearing hijab. Following this incident, students of different colleges arrived at Shanteshwar Education Trust in Vijayapura wearing saffron stoles. The situation was the same in several colleges in the Udupi district.
External exams will happen as per schedule but internal exams of all schools and colleges will be postponed. "A holiday was declared for all schools and colleges today, external examinations would be conducted there as per schedule, but internal exams of all schools and colleges will be postponed. Issuing prohibitory orders in the entire district," Dr Rajendra KV, Deputy Commissioner, Dakshina Kannada district said.