Karnataka Hijab Row: Classes 9, 10 to Resume Next Week, PUC and Degree Colleges Later

The full bench of the Karnataka High Court hearing the Hijab ban case on Thursday posted the matter for February 14. The three-judge full bench of Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi, Justice JM Khazi and Justice Krishna S Dixit was formed on Wednesday to hear the petitions by the Muslim girl students challenging the ban on Hijab. The bench was constituted after the single judge, Justice Dixit referred the matter to the CJ with a view that a larger bench should hear the matter.

The full bench also said it wants the matter to be resolved at the earliest but till that time peace and tranquility is to be maintained. Meanwhile, Karnataka Education Minister BC Nagesh said classes for standard nine and 10 will resume from next week onwards.

“During the hearing into the petition filed by some students challenging the uniform related rules, the High Court has given direction to resume classes. Against this backdrop, it was decided in a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai that the regular classes for ninth and tenth standard, which were given holidays, will reopen from February 14,” he said in a tweet. The Karnataka government announced a three-day holiday on Wednesday in view of violence and tension in some schools and colleges owing to the Hijab (Islamic head scarves) versus saffron scarves face-off.

Earlier, the Chief Justice asked the media to refrain from reporting the observations made by the bench during the course of hearing. The Hijab row started in December end when a few students started coming to the government pre-university college in Udupi wearing Hijab. To protest against it, some Hindu students turned up wearing saffron scarves. The row spread to other educational institutions in different parts of the State, and the protests took a violent turn at some place earlier this week, prompting the government on Tuesday to declare three days holiday for the institutions.

Chief Minister Bommai said that “the three-judge bench has said that they will hear the case on a day-to-day basis and that everyone should maintain peace, and not to wear religious dress at colleges until then (the order). have also given instruction for reopening of educational institutions.” Speaking to reporters here, he said discussions were held at his chaired-meeting aimed at establishing peace at school and college campuses and creating an atmosphere for students to study together, and to maintain law and order. “It has been decided that high school classes up to class 10 will start functioning from Monday and in the second stage PUC and degree colleges will start, the dates will be announced in the due course,” he said.

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