BENGALURU: “The hijab ban will continue in the state,” asserted minister for primary and secondary education B.C. Nagesh on Thursday after the Supreme Court gave a split verdict on the hijab ban imposed in schools and pre-university colleges in Karnataka.
The state government on February 5 this year issued a circular banning hijab in schools and pre-university colleges of the State. The matter reached the High Court of Karnataka which upheld the decision of the state government and the issue was later taken-up in the Supreme Court and the two-judge bench pronounced its split verdict on Thursday.
In the verdict, Justice Hemant Gupta dismissed appeals challenging the High Court's order while Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia said wearing hijab is a matter of choice.
Stating that he expected a "better" SC verdict on hijab, Nagesh told reporters that “We are clear that no student can wear hijab inside the classroom and maintained that the High Court of Karnataka verdict on hijab which upholds the state government ‘s decision to ban hijab is still valid".
Minister for Kannada and culture Sunil Kumar told reporters that “There is no going back on the ban imposed on wearing hijab by the state government. The circular issued by the state government on not wearing hijab will stay.”
In Karnataka, the minister said no students will enter the classroom wearing hijab and that all students should attend classes in uniforms.
He blamed that the Congress and the Popular Front of India (PFI) for backing some students to move to the Supreme Court, and “a big conspiracy” was behind the ordinary students knocking at the doors of the Supreme Court against ban on hijab.
The minister asked the students to change their mindset and follow the state government decision and stated that “there was opposition to wear hijab even in certain Muslim countries such as Iran and Iraq.”
