Udupi girls not to attend class without hijab, to continue legal fight

Udupi: The Udupi Muslim girls who had approached the High Court seeking permission to wear Hijab in classrooms, said that they will not attend class without Hijab and continue their legal fight.

The High Court upheld the Karnataka Government’s dress code and ruled that Hijab does not form part of essential religious practice.

Following the order, five girls except for Shifa held a press conference in Udupi on Tuesday evening.

Almas AH, one of the students from Government Women’s PU College said that she was saddened by the HC order.

“Our lawyers had placed all the necessary argument before the High Court. We had great hope in the court. But we are saddened by the court verdict. Wearing Hijab is an important practice in our religion,” she said.

When asked about approaching Supreme Court, she said that it would be decided after consultation with the lawyers.

“Wearing Hijab is Constitutional right and we want to follow the rights. Both religion and education are important for us. Our struggle is to get permission to attend classes wearing Hijab. We will not go to college without it,” Aliya Assadi, another girl, said.

“This is issue which should have been solved within the college campus. But the College principal and teachers denied our rights. It is because of the college authorities’ approach that the Muslim girls across the entire Karnataka have been denied the right to wear Hijab,” she added.

 Meanwhile, Udupi MLA Raghupathi Bhat, who is also the head of the College Development Committee, asked the girls to respect the High Court judgment and attend the classes.

“ The college will treat the students without any discrimination. We request the girls to return to the campus and focus on education by following the court order,” Raghupathi Bhat said.

He added that their attendance issue will be taken care of and teachers have been asked to provide the notes and prepare them for the exams.