KARNATAKA HC ON HIJAB BAN

The Karnataka high court has referred petitions filed by Muslim college students who have barred entry into classrooms because they were wearing hijabs to a larger bench following a two-day hearing on petitions filed by five girls studying in a Government Pre-University College in Udupi against the hijab restriction in their college. Before the hearing, the Court requested the student community and the general public to preserve peace and tranquility in the aftermath of the order's protests.

In its statement of objections, the State told the Karnataka High Court that it is not interfering with religious beliefs and that educational institutions are not places to profess any particular religion. While senior advocate Sanjay Hegde urged the court to ensure that girl students were not deprived of their education as a result of the ban, the State told the court that it is not interfering with religious beliefs and that educational institutions are not places to profess any particular religion.

Protests against the hijab have risen in several regions of Karnataka, with some becoming violent. Activist right-wing audiences heckled hijab-wearing women on various campuses. Tensions rose at certain educational institutions in Udupi, Shivamogga, and Bagalkote, prompting police and government officials to interfere. Last Monday, the state administration issued an order requiring students in schools and pre-university colleges across the state to wear uniforms set by the government or the management of private institutions.