Hijab Row: SOPs on Uniforms Soon in Karnataka; Pre-University, Degree Colleges to Reopen on Wednesday | Top Developments

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Monday said that government would issue SOPs with regard to uniforms in schools and colleges amid a raging controversy over hijab. The CM told reporters that he would discuss the matter with the state education minister before issuing the SoPs. “Today classes up to 10th standard have resumed. This evening, I’ll attend a meeting with our education minister. We will discuss what has happened and issue SOPs. Everyone must follow the high court’s direction,” the CM said.

The chief minister’s remarks came on a day when schools with classes till the 10th standard reopened after a gap of six days. On February 8, Bommai had ordered the closure of all educational institutes as the hijab controversy snowballed in the southern state.

Pre-university and degree colleges to reopen on Wednesday

The Karnataka government on Monday also decided to reopen PU (pre-university) and degree colleges from Wednesday and instructed the police department to step up security wherever required. The government had earlier extended the closure of degree and diploma colleges till February 16. The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by CM Bommai, which was attended by Home Minister Araga Jnanendra, Primary and Secondary Education Minister BC Nagesh, Higher Education Minister CN Ashwath Narayan, and senior officials of the government.

The Karnataka High Court, in its interim order pending consideration of all petitions related to the hijab row, last week had requested the state government to reopen educational institutions and restrained all the students from wearing saffron shawls, scarves, hijab and any religious flag within the classroom.

Following the court order, the government had decided to resume classes for high school students up to Class 10 from February 14, and for pre-university and degree colleges thereafter, and accordingly high schools across the state reopened today.

Students tell HC to allow them to wear hijab of same colour as uniform

Earlier in the day, the Karnataka High Court’s three-member bench adjourned the hijab case till Tuesday afternoon after resuming the hearing on Monday.

Appearing for the petitioners, advocate Dev Datt Kamat argued that wearing headscarves is an essential practice of the Islamic faith. He said that the Karnataka government order was a non-application of mind. “The government order (GO) is in the teeth of Article 25 and it is not legally sustainable,” Kamat said.

He also urged the court to allow the students to wear Islamic headscarves of the same colour as that of the school uniform. “I am not only challenging the GO but also asking for a positive mandate for allowing me to wear a headscarf of the same colour of the uniform,” Kamat said.

High schools reopened today

After a near week-long Hijab row forced holiday, high schools in the state reopened on Monday, amid prohibitory orders in Udupi, which witnessed violence and tension last week and sensitive areas of Dakshina Kannada and Bengaluru. Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code has been imposed in sensitive areas in the said districts.

In Udupi district, all the schools that reopened today witnessed normal attendance, Education Department sources said. Muslim girl students who reached the school campuses wearing hijabs, removed them before entering classes. Examinations scheduled for the day are also going on in the institutions. The district administration has imposed Section 144 of CrPC around 200-metre radius of all high schools in the district from Monday till February 19 to maintain peace.

Udupi Tahsildar Pradeep Kurudekar, who visited a few schools, said Muslim students were abiding by the High Court’s interim order by removing hijabs before entering classes. There were no reports of Hindu students turning up in saffron shawls. Police personnel have been posted in Udupi town and near the schools to maintain law and order and to avoid any untoward incident. Meanwhile, in a statement, Udupi Pejawar mutt chief Swami Vishwaprasanna Teertha appealed to all sections to avoid chaos and maintain peace.

(With PTI inputs)

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