Hijab row: Supreme Court says no urgent listing, Karnataka CM appeals for peace

New Delhi, Feb 10: The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to accord urgent hearing on a plea seeking transfer of the petitions from Karnataka High Court relating to Hijab row to the apex court.

The top court said HC is getting the matter today and asked why it should interfere at this stage. It refused to give any specific date.

A bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana said the high court is seized of the case and should be allowed to continue with the hearing and decide it.

Seeking transfer of the case and hearing by a nine-judge bench at the top court, senior advocate Kapil Sibal said, "The problem is that schools and colleges are closed. Girls are being stoned. It's spreading across the country."

After being told by Sibal that he did not want any order and only listing of the plea, the CJI said, "We will see."

Meanwhile Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai appealed to outsiders to not disturb the peace of school campuses and elsewhere across the state amid an uneasy calm following days of protests over the controversy.

"I appeal to outsiders to not disturb peace and tranquility in school campuses and in the state. It is our duty to create a peaceful atmosphere so that justice can be delivered," Bommai was quoted as saying in state capital Bengaluru.

The single judge of the Karnataka High Court hearing the case related to the Hijab ban in school-college campuses referred the matter to the Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi on Wednesday with a view that the CJ may decide on constituting a larger bench to look into the case.

"In view of the enormity of questions of importance which were debated, the court is of the considered opinion that the Chief Justice should decide if a larger bench can be constituted in the subject matter," Justice Dixit said.

"The bench was also of the view that the interim prayers should also be placed before larger bench that may be constituted by Chief Justice Awasthi exercising his discretion," Justice Dixit noted in the order.

The Hijab row had spread to more colleges in Karnataka on Tuesday and taken violent turn in many campuses in different parts of the State, with spiralling protests for and against wearing of the headscarf by Muslim women students.

The petitions were filed by some Muslim girls studying in Government Pre-University colleges in Udupi district against a ban on their entry into classrooms with their hijabs on.