New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday has asked for the Karnataka government’s response to petitions against the High Court’s refusal to lift a ban on wearing of the hijab in educational institutions. A bench of Justices Hemant Gupta and Sudhanshu Dhulia issued notice to the state on the pleas and posted them for hearing on September 5.
During the hearing, the bench of Justices Hemant Gupta and Sudhanshu Dhulia was told by the Solicitor General Tushar Mehta that a letter of adjournment has been circulated by the petitioners.
Hearing this, Justice Gupta said, “This is not acceptable to us. You wanted urgent listing and when the matter is listed, you want adjournment. We will not permit forum shopping”.
A batch of 23 petitions was listed before the bench. Some of them are writ petitions filed directly before the Supreme Court seeking the right to wear hijab for Muslim girl students. Some others are special leave petitions which challenge the judgment of the Karnataka High Court dated March 15 which upheld the hijab ban.
The Karnataka HC had dismissed the petitions filed by a section of Muslim students from the government Pre-University Girls College in Udupi, seeking permission to wear hijab inside classroom.