NEW DELHI: The Indian Supreme Court on Thursday upheld Karnataka High Court’s verdict regarding the Hijab ban in educational institutions.
The court had reserved its decision in the matter on September 22 after hearing extensive arguments by the petitioners as well as the state.
A two-judge bench of Justices Hemant Gupta and Sudhanshu Dhulia pronounced the verdict.
The Karnataka HC while holding that wearing the hijab is not an essential religious practice in Islam and freedom of religion under Article 25 of the Constitution is subject to reasonable restrictions, also upheld an order issued on February 5 by the state, which suggested that wearing hijab can be restricted in government colleges where uniforms are prescribed, and ruled that such curbs under norms for college uniforms are “constitutionally permissible”.
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The ban by the state had sparked protests by some Muslim students and parents, and counter-protests by Hindu students.
Critics of the ban say it is another way of marginalising Muslims that account for about 13% of Hindu-majority India’s 1.35 billion people.
