Hearing a petition on the right of students to wear a hijab to schools, the Karnataka High Court on Thursday passed an interim order allowing the opening of colleges but asked that no student should insist on wearing religious clothes until the time the court decides the matter.
According to the interim order accessed by India Today, the high court said that it was pained by the ongoing agitations and closure of educational institutions for the past few days.
It ruled that India is a country of plural cultures of religions and languages. “Being a secular state, it does not identify itself with any religion as its own. Every citizen has the right to profess and practice any faith of choice that is true,” the order said.
The high court also said that no person in the name of religion, culture and the like can be permitted to do any act that disturbs public peace and tranquility.
It directed the state government and stakeholders to allow students to return to classes at the earliest and restrained students regardless of their religion or faith from wearing saffron shawls, scarfs and hijabs within the classroom until further orders.