Karnataka High Court Verdict on Hijab Row: The hijab verdict in a nutshell

BENGALURU: Following are the highlights from the Karnataka High Court verdict dismissing petitions filed by some Muslim girls from Udupi Government Pre-University Girls' College seeking permission to allow wear Hijab in the classrooms.

• Wearing of Hijab by Muslim women does not form a part of Essential Religious Practices in Islamic faith.
• No material placed on record to prima facie shows that wearing of Hijab is a part of an essential religious practice in Islam.
• It is not that if the alleged practice of wearing hijab is not adhered to, those not wearing hijab become the sinners, Islam loses its glory and it ceases to be a religion.
• The idea of schooling is incomplete without teachers, education and a uniform.
• The prescription of school uniforms is only a reasonable restriction constitutionally permissible which the students cannot object to.
• Moghuls or British did not bring uniforms but it was there since the ancient 'Gurukul' days.
• Several Indian scriptures mention Samavastra or Shubhravesh in Samskrit, the English near equivalent for uniform.
• The school uniform ceases to be uniform if Hijab of same colour is allowed. There shall be two categories of girl students -- those with hijab and those without it.
• Two categories of girl students will establish a sense of ‘social-separateness’, which is not desirable.
• The aim of the regulation is to create a "safe space" where such divisive lines should have no place.
• Adherence to dress code is a mandatory for students.
• The government has power to issue the order banning clothes that could disturb peace, harmony and public order and no case is made out for its invalidation.
• No case was made out for initiating disciplinary enquiry against the college, its principal and a teacher for restricting the girls from attending classes putting on Hijab.
• Petitions were dismissed as they were devoid of merits.