Karnataka: Muslim PG students wearing Hijab denied entry to college in Udupi

Mangaluru: Trouble erupted at the MGM college in Udupi on Thursday when some girl students wearing hijabs were sent out of the institution premises by the college principal. Postgraduate students who sought entry into the college wearing hijabs complained that they are not even allowed to attend the classes or enter the college premises which is in violation of the High Court order.

The students said they could not appear for their examinations earlier due to the row over the hijab issue. Girl students wearing hijab who came to attend degree classes also left the campus after the order from the principal.

The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday said it wishes to dispose of the Hijab related case this week itself and sought the cooperation of all the parties involved.

The full bench of Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi, Justice J M Khazi and Justice Krishna M Dixit is hearing a batch of petitions by the girls seeking permission to wear Hijab inside the classroom. The Chief Justice said, "We want to finish this case this week itself. Make all endeavours to finish this case by the end of this week."

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The Karnataka government on Tuesday told the High Court that there is no restriction on wearing Hijab in India with reasonable restrictions subject to institutional discipline. Countering the petitioner Muslim girls from Udupi district, who challenged the restriction on Hijab inside the educational institutions, Karnataka Advocate General Prabhuling Navadgi said the right to wear the headscarf falls under the category of 19(1)(A) and not Article 25 as has been argued by the petitioners.