Karnataka HC : Wearing Hijab Not An Essential Religious Practice Of Islam

In a significant development, the Karnataka HC on Tuesday dismissed various petitions filed by Muslim girl students challenging the ban on wearing Hijab in state's educational institutions.

In its ruling, the 3-judge High Court bench said, "wearing Hijab not an essential religious practice of Islam.'' "We are of the considered opinion that wearing of Hijab by Muslim women does not form a part of essential religious practice in Islamic faith,'' the Karnataka high court bench said further.

The prescription of school uniform is a reasonable restriction which students could not object to, the Karnataka High Court said while pronouncing its judgment in Hijab row case, adding, ''No case is made out for invalidating the Government Order of February 5.’'

The ruling was passed by the three-judge bench of the Karnataka High Court comprising Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi, Justice Krishna S Dixit and Justice JM Khazi.

Karnataka's hijab protests began in January this year when students of Government Girls PU college in the Udupi district of the state claimed that they were barred from attending classes. Some students claimed they were denied entry into the college because they wore the hijab.