Karnataka: The Karnataka HC reserved its judgement in the Hijab case after hearing the case back-to-back for 11 days. The bench on Thursday had asked the counsel to wind up their arguments indicating it would shortly deliver the order.
The petitioners-students from Government PU College for Girls at Udupi and several others have challenged the government order.
Purdah or burqa may not be an essential practice but a headscarf or hijab is an essential part of Islam, and two judgments of the Kerala High Court and the Madras High Court, which has gone through Islamic verses and scriptures, have arrived at this conclusion, the petitioners’ counsels argued.
State govt countering it the statements contended that Hijab is not an essential religious practice. Advocate General Prabhuling K Navadagi argued that petitioners-students have placed zero materials to substantiate their claim to declare that wearing hijab is an essential religious practice.
The Karnataka govt also submitted details on involvement of CFI, a radical organization that was spearheading the row. Counsel for the PU College, senior advocate SS Naganand, said that the uniform was made compulsory by the college in 2004 and there had been no issue until the CFI met some students who wanted to wear hijab to college.
The state government on Thursday informed the high court that FIR has been registered against the members of the CFI, who had allegedly threatened some teachers in the Government Pre-University Girls College in the Udupi district
On February 10th, the full bench passed an interim order restraining all students from wearing any religious attire in the educational institutions.