Karnataka edu minister says expected “better judgement” on SCs split verdict on Hijab | Bengaluru

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Karnataka government expected a “better judgement” from the Supreme Court in the hijab case, education minister B C Nagesh said on Thursday, as the Congress hit out at the state government over “a conspiracy to stop minorities from getting education” through a ban on the headscarf in educational institutes.

“In the Hijab case, the final verdict of the Supreme Court is very important. This is not only limited to Karnataka but something that concerns the entire country. So, we will have to wait till the final verdict,” Basavaraj Bommai, the chief minister of Karnataka, said.

A two-judge bench of the top court delivered a split verdict on a batch of pleas challenging the Karnataka high court judgement refusing to lift a ban on hijab in educational institutes in the state. While Justice Hemant Gupta dismissed the appeals, Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia allowed them. The bench directed that the appeals against the high court verdict be placed before the Chief Justice of India for constituting an appropriate larger bench.

Speaking to reporters here, Nagesh said: “At a time when there is a movement against hijab and burqa across the globe and the freedom of women is a talking point, the Karnataka government had expected a better judgement that will bring an order in the education system but a split verdict has come.”

“The matter has now been referred to a higher bench,” he said adding, the state government will wait for the verdict by a higher bench.

The high court order upholding the state government’s ban on hijab in school and college campuses will remain valid till the top court delivers its final judgement, the minister asserted.

“The high court order will remain valid. Hence, in all our schools and colleges,… there will be no scope for any religious symbols. So our schools and colleges will run as per the Karnataka high court order. Children will have to come to the schools accordingly,” he said.

“The ban on hijab will continue. As you know that the Karnataka Education Act and Rule does not permit any religious items inside the class. So we are very clear that no student can wear a hijab inside the class,” he added.

Revenue minister R Ashok exuded confidence that the larger bench of the top court will agree with the state government’s stand.

“There has already been a verdict (referring to the high court) in favour of the government on this issue. Since there was no consensus in the Supreme Court, it will go before the CJI. There also, this will be their stand. Students can wear the hijab inside their homes or anywhere but when they come to government schools, it is mandatory to follow the prescribed uniform,” Ashok said.

“There is no change in the stand of the Karnataka government on hijab. Whoever comes (to) government schools, whatever the uniform is, they should adhere to it,” he added.

Ashok also alleged female students protesting against the ban were inspired by “few organisations” – in an apparent reference to Popular Front of India and its student wing, Campus Front of India, both of which were banned by the Centre last month.

The Congress, however, hit out at the state government over the ban on the headscarf and called it “a conspiracy to stop girls from minority communities from getting education”.

“Whatever our rights are in the Constitution, freedom of practice and preaching, that should be protected. As far as Karnataka is concerned, it is not about the hijab… it is a bigger conspiracy to stop poor girls belonging to minority communities from going to schools and getting education,” Congress leader of opposition in upper house of Karnataka, BK Hariprasad, said.

“After banning the hijab, around 17,000 first generation students were out of schools. The government has succeeded in its plans to not educate these girls,” he added.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the split verdict means the matter will continue to attract the apex court’s attention. “The Supreme Court’s split verdict in the hijab case means the matter will continue to attract the apex court’s attention,” he said in a tweet in Hindi.

The supreme court has dismissed over 20 petitions given by Muslims.

One thing that the Congress and PFI should understand is….the PFI has already been banned..and all such thinking (ideology) should be kept away from society. When we told the students that Hijab should not be worn, if the students can go till the Supreme Court, we can know how big the forces were behind this conspiracy to create tensions. If a student goes to Supreme Court, we are clear that there are bigoted forces are behind this,” Sunil Kumar, Karnataka’s minister for energry, Kannada and culture said.

Kumar is also the district incharge minister for Dakshina Kannada. He accused the Congress of trying to condone such incidents and even questioned saffron robes being worn by Hindu seers.

“When many countries like Iran, Afghanistan and other Islamic countries are rejecting the Hijab, it is necessary that Congress too should include Hijab Chodo in its Bharat Jodo (Yatra),” he added.