High Court dismisses Hijab plea; ‘Hijab not essential to religious practice’

March 15: In a landmark judgement, the Karnataka High Court on Tuesday ruled that wearing of hijab is not an essential religious practice under Islamic faith.  Petitions filed by Muslim girls seeking permission to wear hijab in classroom were dismissed. High court also declares that educational institutions have a right to prescribe uniforms and that this is a reasonable restriction to which students cannot object. “Students can’t object to uniform prescribed by educational institutions,” said the High Court. It further stated that all the petitions filed justifying wearing of Hijab in educational institutions are without any merit.

The Karnataka government order – dated February 5 – is “not unconstitutional”, the court said.  Upholding the state government ban, the court on Tuesday said that “the state government has the power to issue a government order”. Karnataka had witnessed huge protests amid the row in the last few months.

The petitioners are likely to challenging the ruling in Supreme Court. “Met my clients in Hijab matter in Udupi. Moving to SC soon In sha Allah. These girls will In sha Allah continue their education while exercising their rights to wear Hijab. These girls have not lost hope in Courts and Constitution,” lawyer Anas Tanwir wrote in a tweet.