Arguments in petitions questioning the ban on the hijab have been extended to the seventh day. The High Court wide bench hearing will continue on Monday. The Karnataka government has told the court that the hijab is not an obligatory part of Islam. Protests against the ban on hijab continue in the state. A teacher at a private college in Karnataka has resigned following the hijab controversy.
The wide bench of the Karnataka High Court began hearing the case last Friday. The single bench, which heard the students’ petition challenging the hijab ban on July 7, remanded it to a wider bench after a three-day hearing. The Advocate General outlined in court the Karnataka government’s stance on the hijab ban. He argued that banning the use of the hijab was not in violation of Article 25 of the Indian Constitution, which guarantees religious freedom. The AG contended that the state government had ordered students to wear only the uniforms prescribed by the colleges.
In Karnataka, it is a matter of controversy that the college authorities have instructed the teachers as well as the students not to wear hijab. A teacher at a private college has resigned following a request from management to remove her hijab. Chandini Nass, a teacher at Jain PU College, Tumkur, Karnataka, has resigned. Protests continue in Karnataka over hijab ban There were protests in various colleges on Friday as well.