Firming up its stance on the hijab issue, the Karnataka government has said it will not allow students clad in the medieval Islamist costume to appear for the second pre-university course (PUC) examinations scheduled to begin on March 9. This was revealed by Karnataka education minister BC Nagesh.
The minister said that more Muslim students who had protested against the hijab ban are turning up for classes. The minister insisted that the government cannot agree to the demands of a section of the students which encourage separatism.
“Just like last year, students must wear the uniform and write the examination. Students wearing the hijab will not be allowed to write the exam. Rules have to be followed. The educational institutions and the government are acting as per the set rules,” said Nagesh.
The pro-hijab campaign was run by outlawed Islamist outfit Popular Front of India. It had built up a tempo which was amplified by the liberals and Opposition parties. Predictably, the Left parties also supported the regressive dress code.
Meanwhile, the apex court on Friday turned down a plea for an immediate listing of pleas seeking a directive to government institutions in Karnataka to allow students to appear for examinations wearing the hijab. “I will create a Bench,” said a Bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud after an advocate sought an urgent hearing of the petition on the ground that the girls were on the verge of losing another academic year as the examinations were to commence from March 9 in government schools which didn’t permit hijab.
On March 15 2022, a three-judge bench comprising chief justice Ritu Raj Awasthi, justice Krishna S Dixit and justice JM Khazi ruled that the hijab was not an “essential religious practice”.
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