The Karnataka Hijab Controversy: Know All About The Case

Amidst the restlessness of the Karnataka Hijab Controversy, the High Court of Karnataka issued rules stating that wearing Hijab is not the core part of Islam and that Muslim girl students should refrain from doing so in educational institutions. Read the article to know more about the burning topic! 

The Karnataka Hijab Controversy – What Is The Matter? 

The Karnataka Hijab Controversy started brewing when six Muslim girl students allegedly reported that they were not permitted to step into their classroom in Udupi, Karnataka wearing Hijabs! Similar situations were experienced by Muslim students in various colleges as well. 

Female students from the Muslim community in their statement to the media said that Hindu students started wearing saffron-coloured scarves to educational institutions, which ultimately led to a controversy in the state. 

Several videos went viral on social media showing the rising atrocities between the two communities. In one such video, one can see a group of Hindu boys chanting the “ Jay Shree Ram”, and in response a Muslim student shouting “Allah Hu Akbar“. These incidents occurring over a month in the Karnataka state raised the commotion. The Muslim students soon started protesting against the case, and in fear of the upcoming consequences, the Karnataka Government closed all the educational institutions .

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What The Court Has To Say – The Karnataka High Court’s Verdict On The Case

Owing to the controversy, the Muslim female students filed a case on January 31 in Karnataka High Court! After few hearings, the Karnataka High Court issued new rules ordering female Muslim students to refrain from wearing Hijab in educational institutions.

In this section, we have enlisted some key points issued by the High Court on the Karnataka Hijab Controversy.

1. The school uniform will not hold any value if the Hijab of the same color is allowed in educational institutions.
2. All the students, regardless of their religion should obey the uniform rules issued by the Constitution. The judicial body has the right to discard clothes that harm the peace and sanity of an educational body.
3. No students can object to the dress code issued by the educational system.
4. Wearing Hijab does not form the core essential religious practice in the Islam religion.
5. On Tuesday, a three member bench headed by Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi issued these rules and asked students to obey the Court’s orders. No Hijab, or any saffron flags or scarves are permitted inside the school or college premises, the Chief Justice verdicts.

The Lawyers And Students Take On The Judgment 

Lawyer Anas Tanwir, who represented the students in the High Court, said in one of his statements that he will not step down and will take the case to the Supreme Court, if the situation demands it. He added that the verdict of the Karnataka High Court was utterly heartbreaking and disturbing. He added that no judicial body has the right to pass orders regarding what an individual chooses to wear. This verdict is against the basic fundamental right of the individual.

“ We will continue this fight” read the poster of a student from Ujjire. Another student’s poster read, “The High Court didn’t provide Justice, but just a verdict.” 

Several students pleaded to the Supreme Court to take up the case, against the judgment by the Karnataka High Court. At a press conference, a petitioner said that they were denied their basic rights to freedom. Justice is not served to them.

Conclusion 

Even after the Karnataka High Court issued strict orders on the Karnataka Hijab Controversy case, the unrest has not yet dissolved fully. Several students of the minority section are still hopeful that they will serve justice by the Supreme Court. 

As a citizen of India, it is high time that we ponder over some questions, “ Where are these communal riots taking us? , “ Will history repeat itself again?, “ Shall the High Court not ban the Hindu Punjabis from wearing turban it the Hindu Brahmins from wearing their sacred thread?”, “Shall the educational institutions not be barred from hanging the pictures of gods and goddesses in classrooms?”. 

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