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Karnataka's Chief Minister Holds Meeting Regarding The Hijab Controversy
Highlights
- Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai met with Primary and Secondary Education Minister BC Nagesh and top government officials today to discuss the government's position
- The Karnataka High Court would hear the petitions of five girls enrolling at a government pre-university college in Udupi who are challenging the college's hijab policy.
The Karnataka government has instructed educational institutions to observe existing uniform-related norms till the High Court issues an order in this matter next week, after the 'hijab' controversy.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai met with Primary and Secondary Education Minister BC Nagesh and top government officials today to discuss the government's position, as the issue has snowballed into a significant dispute that has spread to other educational institutions and is now before the High Court.
Siddaramaiah, a Congress leader, backed Muslim girls in their right to wear the hijab to educational institutions while criticising the BJP government.
Since this case is in court, the Chief Minister met with the Legal Department and the Departments of Primary and Secondary Education today. He instructed us to notify the court of the government's position after receiving the Advocate General's opinion.
According to the Minister, guidelines were drafted in 2013 and 2018 based on the Karnataka Education Act, that give educational institutions and their School Development and Monitoring Committees (SDMCs) the authority to prescribe uniforms to their students.
They have gone over everything, and the government will soon make a decision. They had previously released a circular noting that the uniforms approved by the SCDMs prior to the start of the academic year and worn by students until the High Court's decision was given. He added, stressing that no one may enforce their personal or religious beliefs in educational institutions.
On February 8, the Karnataka High Court would hear the petitions of five girls enrolling at a government pre-university college in Udupi who are challenging the college's hijab policy. Some pupils at a government pre-university college in Udupi are wearing hijab, causing a ruckus.
In another incidence, Muslim female students at the Kundapur PU college were stopped at the gate by the principal because they were wearing the hijab. As a contrast to the Muslim girls wearing hijabs, a number of Hindu students, primarily boys, arrived to campus wearing saffron shawls.
The Minister emphasised that the Kerala and Bombay High Courts have explicitly indicated in previous judgements that headscarves are not permitted in educational institutions.
He added that they are unable to comprehend what mischief by someone drove them to take such a stand about wearing hijab and boycott classes. Adding into it that for the past month, various attempts have been made by local MLAs and community leaders to persuade the girl students.
In response to a query concerning more students wearing hijab and Hindu students wearing a saffron shawl as a punitive measure, he replied that while there may be some natural reactions, those who came wearing saffron shawls were not allowed to attend courses. They can't take a different stance.
Meanwhile, Siddaramaiah spoke out in support of Muslim girls' right to wear hijab, saying that rejecting the girls admittance into a college, especially a government college, is a violation of the students' fundamental rights. He claimed the BJP of inciting students to wear saffron shawls in order to create a controversy. Nagesh retorted to Siddaramaiah by saying that the uniform regulations were drafted under the Congress leader's administration and that he should examine the Karnataka Education Act and related laws.
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