K'taka HC upholds hijab ban: Student moves SC

The student has contended that the right to wear a hijab falls within the right to privacy

Takeaways

• The high court had also said the prescription of school uniform is only a “reasonable restriction”, constitutionally permissible which the students cannot object to
• The Special Leave Petition (SLP) before the Apex Court contended that the high court has failed to note that the right to wear a hijab comes under the ambit of expression and is thus protected under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution

BENGALURU/NEW DELHI: Holding that hijab was not part of the “essential religious practice” in the Islamic faith, the Karnataka High Court on Tuesday upheld the state government’s ban on wearing the headscarf in educational institutions that had triggered protests by Muslim girl students and also a tense hijab-versussaffron scarf row.

Hours after the high court dismissed petitions by some Muslim girl students from two government colleges in Udupi for removing the hijab curbs in classrooms, one of them challenged the verdict in the Supreme Court. The high court had also said the prescription of school uniform is only a “reasonable restriction”, constitutionally permissible which the students cannot object to.