Ban on hijab in schools, colleges to continue in Karnataka: Minister

Bengaluru, Oct 13: The ban on wearing hijab in educational institutions will continue in Karnataka, state minister BC Nagesh said on Thursday.

He claimed that they had expected a "better judgement" as the demand for the ban worldwide is growing. "As a democratic government, we welcome whatever order we have received from the honourable Supreme Court. But we expected a better judgment because as you know - throughout the world - women are demanding not to wear hijab and burka," ANI quoted BC Nagesh as saying.

"We welcome the Supreme Court verdict. Karnataka HC order remains applicable in the interim time. Theban on wearing of hijab in educational institutions of the state remains,' Nagesh added.

On asking about the organisations supporting the wearing of the hijab in educational institutions, BC Nagesh said, "They will always want to split this society. They are using hijab to split the society."

A two-judge bench of Justices Hemant Gupta and Sudhanshu Dhulia pronounced the judgement today. While Justice Hemant Gupta stated that was a "divergence of opinion" as he dismissed the bunch of petitions against the March 15 Karnataka High Court order on the hijab matter, Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia allowed the appeals and set aside the HC verdict.

"It's a matter of choice, nothing more nothing less," Justice Dhulia said while pronouncing the order. Justice Gupta said, "There is a divergence of opinion. In my order, I have framed 11 questions. First is whether the appeal should be referred to the Constitution Bench."

The Supreme Court on Thursday delivered a split verdict on pleas that challenged a judgment of the Karnataka High Court which had upheld the ban on hijab in educational institutions.

Justices Hemant Gupta and Sudhanshu Dhulia had reserved the order following a marathon ten-day hearing. The students had filed an appeal against the HC order which had held that prohibition on hijab in classrooms was a reasonable restriction and that hijab was not an essential religious practice in Islam.

The controversy had broke out in Udupi in January after a government college banned Muslim girls from wearing hijab. There were protests in Udupi and several other districts over the issue in Karnataka.