Students should follow prescribed uniform till final verdict, says Karnataka HC on hijab row

Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi, who heads the three-judge bench hearing the hijab matter, made it clear that the students should wear uniforms prescribed by the schools and colleges until the final verdict in the case.

Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court bench, hearing the hijab matter, on Wednesday, made it clear that the students should wear uniform prescribed by the schools and colleges until the final verdict in the case. Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi, who heads the three-judge bench, reiterated, "We are making it very clear that whether a degree or PU College, if a uniform is prescribed, that has to be followed until the verdict."

The bench, which also comprises Justice Krishna S Dixit and JM Khazi, also made it clear that the interim order is directed towards students only. Counsel, appearing for the students, said that the students are being sent out of institutions, citing the interim order, and teachers who are wearing headscarves are also being turned away and demanded that they should be heard on the issue.

However, Advocate General Prabhuling Navadgi submitted that the prayer of the petitioner has already been addressed and yet another petition is being filed in this regard. However, the court clarified that if the uniform is prescribed by the PUC or degree colleges, it has to be worn.

The hijab row which started from Udupi Pre-University Girls' College has become a crisis in the state, with students refusing to attend classes without hijab and maintaining that they will wait until the final verdict is given.

The high court had issued an interim order banning both hijab and saffron shawls or scarves inside the classrooms, amid the ongoing agitation. The special bench is hearing the matter on a day-to-today basis and has asked all counsel to complete their submissions by this weekend.

Earlier, as many as 15 Muslim girls were booked in Tumakuru and 58 students were suspended in Shivamogga for staging demonstrations outside their colleges. Based on a complaint by S Shanmukha, the principal of Empress Girls Pre-University College in Tumakuru, the police registered a case against 15 students who staged demonstrations outside the college campus.

In his complaint, the principal stated that despite Section 144 of the CrPC that was in force in and around the college, 10 to 15 Muslim girl students of the college staged a demonstration. The hijab-wearing students were adamant that they should be allowed inside the college with their headscarves.

With agency inputs