Karnataka: The Karnataka High Court will pronounce judgment in the Hijab row case tomorrow (Monday), according to sources. The court in its interim order had said the uniform prescribed by the schools and colleges should be followed till the disposal of the case.

“We are making it very clear that whether a degree college or a PU College, if a uniform has been prescribed, that has to be followed so long as the matter is pending before the court,” Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi told advocate Mohammed Tahir who is the counsel for one of the petitioners seeking permission to wear hijab in the classrooms.

The court also made it clear that the interim order related to hijab was confined to students only when a lawyer appearing on behalf of petitioners from Udupi pointed out that the teachers were also asked to remove their headscarf. Controversy over Hijab in educational institutions erupted after some students of Government Girls PU college in the Udupi district of Karnataka started protesting in January against the school administration for allegedly barring them from attending classes.

Some students claimed that they were denied entry into the college for wearing hijab. Following this, students of different colleges arrived at Shanteshwar Education Trust in Vijayapura wearing saffron stoles. The pre-University education board had released a circular stating that students can wear only the uniform approved by the school administration and no other religious practices will be allowed in colleges.