Kerala governor welcomes K'taka HC decision on Hijab, says conspiracy to push back Muslim girls failed

Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan on Tuesday welcomed the Karnataka High Court decision upholding Hijab ban in educational institutions saying 'conspiracy to push back Muslim young girls has fallen flat'.

"Conspiracy to push back Muslim young girls has fallen flat. This is not just a women's issue but an issue concerning society and the society that pushbacks its women ultimately suffer", said Arif Mohammad Khan.

As Karnataka High Court deliberated over the issue of Hijab being an essential religious practise in Islam, Khan said Islam itself defines what's essential to the practice of the faith, so the judiciary's job has become easy.

"Hijab has been mentioned seven times in the Quran, but not in the context of the dress code," he added.

A bench of Karnataka High Court comprising Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi, Justice Krishna S Dixit, and Justice JM Khazi said that no case is made out for invalidating the February 5 government order.

The Hijab row had erupted in January this year when the Government PU College in Udupi allegedly barred six girls wearing the hijab from entering the college. Following this, the girls sat in protest outside the college over being denied entry.

After this, boys of several colleges in Udupi started attending classes wearing saffron scarves. This protest spread to other parts of the state leading to a massive uproar.

As a result, the Karnataka government said that all students must adhere to the uniform and it banned both hijab and saffron scarves. On February 5, the pre-University education board released a circular stating that the students can only wear the uniform approved by the school administration and no other religious attire will be allowed in colleges.

The order stated that in case a uniform is not prescribed by management committees, then students should wear dresses that go well with the idea of equality and unity, and does not disturb the social order.

A batch of petitions was filed against the government's rule in the Karnataka High Court by some girls seeking permission to wear the hijab in educational institutions.

( With inputs from ANI )

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