Hijab Row: 2 more students move Karnataka High Court seeking permission to wear hijab

Mangaluru: The Karnataka High Court will today hear the petition of the government pre-university college student in Udupi district seeking permission to wear hijab. Two more students of a private college at Kundapur have also approached the high court with the same plea.

The two students of Bhandarkar’s arts and science college, in their petition, have named the college principal, Mangalore university registrar and Kundapur MLA Halady Srinivas Shetty as the defendants. In the petition, the students allege that the college has restricted their entry with 'hijabs' (headscarf) in the college premises at the instance of the MLA.

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The petition has been filed by Suha Maulana and Aisha Aleefa, both pursuing BBA. The girls pointed out in their petition that there was no dispute on hijabs when they got admission to the college. The principal introduced the restriction all of a sudden on February 3, saying they have a government order restricting hijabs inside classes.

When the parents of the girls met the principal and questioned the decision, the latter told them that the step has been taken as per the direction of the MLA, who is the president of the college development committee, the students said in the petition.

As per the Live Law report, "A controversial notification has recently been issued by the School Education Department of Karnataka under Section 133(2) of the Karnataka Education Act, 1983. While there is no specific reference to the hijab in the notification, its vague language is being resorted to by certain pre-university schools to single out hijab wearing young girls and to deny to them the right to access education."

The Karnataka government on February 5 ordered banning wearing clothes that disturb equality, integrity and public order. "Invoking 133 (2) of the Karnataka Education Act-1983, which says a uniform style of clothes has to be worn compulsorily. The private school administration can choose a uniform of their choice," the government order said.

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Yesterday, students wearing Hijab were allowed entry into the campus of Government PU College, Kundapura, however, they were made to sit in a separate classroom. The Karnataka police arrested two people arrested carrying ‘lethal weapons’ near the college.

Initially, the Hijab controversy was restricted to Udupi and Chikkamagaluru at the beginning of January later it spread to other parts of the state and turned it to a major controversy with political parties taking mileage out of it.