Karnataka hijab row: Our secularism is positive, we respect all religions, says petitioner

Bengaluru, Feb 15: The three-judge bench, comprising Chief Justice of Karnataka HC Ritu Raj Awasthi, Justice Krishna S Dixit, and Justice JM Khazi adjourned hearing into pleas over hijab row to Wednesday.

Kamat, appearing for the petitioners, says the state says that the phrase in the GO "savrajanik suvyavasthe" does not mean "public order". The official Kannada translation of the Constitution uses this word "sarvajanik suvyavasthe" for "public order". I am surprised the state made this argument.

"The court had asked why I was going only on 25(1) when 25(2) talks of reform which may be made applicable even to essential religious practices," said Kamat.

"We are not Turkey, which says no religious symbols can be displayed in public. That hijab ban was upheld by the court due to that. But their Constitution is completely different. Our Constitution recognises different faiths. Ours is positive secularism. We recognise all religions," said Kamat.

Challenging the government order restricting the use of any cloth that can disturb peace, harmony and, law and order, the girls who petitioned in favour of hijab requested the Karnataka High Court on Monday to allow them to wear Islamic headscarves of the colour of the school uniform.

"I am not only challenging the GO but also asking for a positive mandate for allowing me to wear a headscarf of the same colour of the uniform," advocate Devadatt Kamat, appearing on behalf of the girls of the government pre-university college in Udupi, told the bench.

Kamat also claimed that the central schools permit Muslim girls to wear headscarves of the school uniform colour and the same could be done here.

On January 1, six girl students of a college in Udupi attended a press conference held by Campus Front of India (CFI) in the coastal town protesting against the college authorities denying them entry into the classroom by wearing hijab.

This was four days after they requested the principal permission to wear hijabs in classes which was not allowed. Till then, students used to wear hijab to the campus and entered the classroom after removing the scarves, the college principal Rudre Gowda had said.