Karnataka: The Karnataka HC hearing the Hijab plea posted the next hearing on Wednesday at 2:30 pm. The single bench headed by Justice Krishna S Dixit requested the student’s community to maintain peace. The judge orally remarked People should have faith in Constitution. Only a mischievous section will keep the issue burning. But making agitation, going on the street, shouting slogans, attacking students, students attacking others, these are not good things. Do not disturb the Court. You should leave the judges to peace. So I appeal to all people to maintain peace and tranquillity.”
Senior Advocate Devadatt Kamat argued, that the right to wear hijab is an essential religious practise under Islam, and the State is not empowered to interfere with such rights under Articles 14,19 and 25 of the Constitution. In response, Advocate General PK Navadgi, presenting the state govt argued that reasonable restrictions have to be imposed on the purported right to wear hijab in an educational institution.
Meanwhile, the state CM took to his microblogging handle appealing to students to maintain peace. In the same thread, he ordered the closure of all educational institutions to shut down for three days.
The Karnataka government on Saturday, 5 February, issued an order regarding uniforms in educational institutions. High drama has been prevailing since few girl students with Hijab were restricted to enter the campus on February 1st. Tensions in the state escalated today as the controversy took severe turns witnessing lathi charge and stone-pelting across several colleges in the state as the HC heard the writ petitions challenging the state government.