Will protect fundamental rights of all: Supreme Court

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday said it would protect the Constitutional rights of every citizen and take up at an "appropriate time" the pleas challenging a direction of the Karnataka High Court asking students not to wear any religious clothing in educational institutions, and emphasised that these issues should not "spread" at "national level".

A bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana was told by senior advocate Devdutt Kamat, appearing for the students, that the High Court order has led to the "suspension of fundamental right to practice religion under Article 25 of the Constitution" and the plea be listed for hearing on Monday.

Refusing to list the plea on February 14 as sought by Kamat, the bench, also comprising justices A S Bopanna and Hima Kohli, referred to the ongoing hearing of the case in the High Court and said it will protect the fundamental rights of every citizen and take up the matter at an "appropriate time".

At the outset, Kamat said, "I am mentioning a fresh SLP against an interim order passed on Thursday in the 'hijab' matter by the High Court. I would say it is rather strange that the High Court says that none of the students should disclose any religious identity when they go to school and college.

It has far reaching implications not only for Muslim community but also for other faiths."

He referred to Sikhs wearing turbans and said the High Court, by an interim order, has directed all the students that they should go to educational institutions without disclosing religious identity.

"Our respectful submissions are that this amounts to complete suspension of Article 25 (freedom to practice and propagate religion) as far as our clients are concerned. So kindly hear us on the interim arrangement," Kamat said.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Karnataka government, said the High Court order has not even come out and this should have been pointed out.

"The High Court is already hearing this on an urgent basis. We do not know what the order is...Wait. Let us see," the bench said.

All the schools and colleges have been closed, the lawyer said while insisting for an urgent hearing and added, "Whatever interim arrangements this court will decide will be acceptable to all of us".

"I do not want to express anything. Do not spread these things to a larger level. This is what we want to say. Mr Kamat, we are also watching. We also know what is happening in the State as well as in the hearing...and you also have to think over whether it is proper to bring those things to Delhi as a national level issue and all that," the CJI observed.

When told that pure legal questions have emerged from the High Court order, the bench said it will definitely examine if something has gone wrong. "Definitely, we will examine. Definitely, we will protect if there is something wrong. We have to protect the Constitutional right of everyone... Don't go into the merits at this stage. Let us see. We will interfere at an appropriate time. We will take up at the appropriate time," the bench said.