Karnataka Hijab Row: HC ruling today, Section 144 imposed in parts of state

In Bengaluru, Police Commissioner Kamal Pant issued orders prohibiting all gatherings, protests and celebrations in public places from March 15 to 21. High Court officials held meetings with senior police officials on Monday evening.

Karnataka High Court is all scheduled to pronounce the verdict on the Hijab Row today. The special bench constituted to look into the issue will read out the verdict at about 10:30 am. In order to maintain peace and harmony in the city, prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure have been imposed in parts of Karnataka, including Bengaluru.

In Bengaluru, Police Commissioner Kamal Pant issued orders prohibiting all gatherings, protests and celebrations in public places from March 15 to 21. High Court officials held meetings with senior police officials on Monday evening.

Karnataka Hijab Row: Holiday declared in schools, colleges

Meanwhile, in Udupi, where a section of girls in a pre-university college had first started the protests in January 2022 seeking approval to wear hijab inside the classroom, the district administrations have declared a holiday for all schools and colleges on Tuesday.

On February 25, the full bench of Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi, Justices Krishna S Dixit and Jaibunnisa Mohideen Khazi had reserved judgment on a batch of petitions filed by Muslim girls from government pre-university colleges in Udupi district.

On February 10, in an interim order, the bench had said that “pending consideration of all these petitions, we restrain all the students regardless of their religion or faith from wearing saffron shawls, (bhagwa) scarfs, hijab, religious flags or the like, within the classroom, until further orders.” It had said the order “is confined to such institutions wherein the college development committees have prescribed the student dress code/ uniform.”

During the hearing, which began on February 10, the petitioners claimed the right to wear the hijab in classrooms as part of the freedom of religion and freedom of expression, while opposing a February 5 order of the Karnataka education department suggesting that hijabs can be prohibited.

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