PESHAWAR: The High Court of the Indian state of Karnataka on Tuesday maintained ban on hijab in educational institutions, saying that “hijab is not mandatory in Islam”.
The Hindustan Times said that students had challenged the ban on hijab in schools and colleges in Indian state of Karnataka. According to the students, Indian Constitution does not prohibit hijab as it protect religious freedom, thus, education educational institutions have no right to stop them from wearing hijab.
The court further ruled that the government has the authority to issue guidelines on schools and colleges’ uniforms. According to the ruling, the order issued by the government on February 5 wasn’t unconstitutional. On February 5, the Karnataka Education Department had issued orders directing public and private colleges to fully implement the uniform guidelines.
“We believe that wearing hijab is not a necessary religious practice for Muslim women,” said High Court Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi in his judgment. The High Court has dismissed all petitions challenging the hijab order. Prior to the ruling, all schools and colleges in the state were closed to maintain law and order, and public gatherings were banned in some areas. The Karnataka government had taken a position in the court that wearing hijab is not banned in India, but it was banned by some educational institutions to maintain its discipline.
In February, students wearing saffron mufflers at the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial College in Karnataka harassed a hijab wearing student called Muskan. On this occasion, Muskan responded to the crowd by chanting Allah Akbar. The video of the incident went viral on social media and there were trend of ‘Allah Akbar’ on social media in India and Pakistan in solidarity with Muskan.
Protests erupted in various parts of the state after the government banned hijab in educational institutions. The government also had to close schools and colleges. In the state of Karnataka, Bharatiya Janata Party government fully supported the ban.