The Karnataka hijab row has further intensified as the hearings regarding the matter are currently underway in the Karnataka High Court. Petitioners had approached the court regarding the current hijab ban and dress code rules in educational institutes of the state.
During the hearing, Muslim students in the state approached the HC bench, requesting them to wear ‘hijab’ on Fridays and during the holy month of Ramzan. They claimed that banning Hijab amounted to banning the holy Quran, as reported by PTI.
This comes as last week, the Karnataka High Court had issued an interim order regarding the dress code in colleges in schools, restrained all the students from wearing saffron shawls, scarves, hijab, and any religious flag within the classroom.
Counsel Vinod Kulkarni, appearing on behalf of the Muslim girls, said to the High Court bench, “Poor Muslim girls are suffering because of restriction on wearing Hijab. I request the court to pass an order allowing girls to wear Hijab on Friday, which is Jumma day for the Muslim, and during the holy month of Ramzan.”
The request of the petitioners was put forward in front of the Karnataka High Court bench which is hearing the hijab row matter, which included Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi, Justice J M Khazi, and Justice Krishna S Dixit.
While defending the Muslim students, Kulkarni contended there was a "mass hysteria" in the country due to the Hijab issue. He said Hijab was "not against health or morality". According to him, banning Hijab amounted to banning the holy Quran.
The hijab row in the state erupted in January, when several female students at a college in Udupi attended a press conference held by the Campus Front of India (CFI) in the coastal city protesting against the college authorities denying them entry into the classroom by wearing Hijab.
The schools and colleges in Karnataka were shut down by CM Basavaraj Bommai after protests and agitation surrounding the hijab ban erupted near educational institutes. The colleges and pre-universities in Karnataka reopened on February 17, with several students still refusing to attend classes and appear for exams amid the hijab debate.
(With PTI inputs)
