Karnataka HC asks students not wear 'religious clothes' for now

The Karnataka high court hearing the hijab issue on Thursday asked students not to insist on wearing any cloth on campuses of educational institutions which can instigate people, till the matter is resolved.

Posting the matter for Monday, the full court also said the educational institutions can resume classes for the students.

The three-judge full bench of Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi, Justice J M Khazi and Justice Krishna S Dixit, which was formed on Wednesday, also said it wants the matter to be resolved at the earliest but till that time peace and tranquility is to be maintained.

"Till the disposal of the matter, you people should not insist on wearing all these religious things," CJ Awasthi said.

"We will pass an order. Let the schools-colleges start. But till the matter is resolved, no student should insist on wearing religious dress," he said.

However, the petitioners' lawyer Devadatt Kamat requested the court to consider his objection that such an order will amount to suspension of his client's constitutional rights under Article 25.

"That will be a total affront to their rights," Kamat contended.

In response, Chief Justice Awasthi said the arrangement is only for a few days till the matter is resolved and asked him to cooperate.

On Wednesday, Justice Dixit, who was hearing the case, referred the case to Justice Awasthi's consideration with a view that a larger bench may look into the case.

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.