SC delivers split verdict in Karnataka Hijab ban case

New Delhi , October 13

: The Supreme Court on Thursday pronounced a split verdict in the Karnataka Hijab ban case. A bench of justices Hemant Gupta and Sudhanshu Dhulia pronounced the judgement.

Justice Hemant Gupta dismissed the petitions against the hijab ban, while Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia allowed them. One of the lawyers representing the petitioner said that the matter will be placed before the Chief Justice of India and he will decide whether a new bench will hear the matter or the matter gets referred to a larger bench.

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Justice Hemant Gupta dismissed appeals challenging the Karnataka High Court's order which had upheld the state government's order to ban wearing hijabs in educational institutions of the state Justice Gupta said, "There is a divergence of opinion. In my order, I have framed 11 questions. First is whether the appeal should be referred to the Constitution Bench." Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia allowed the appeals and set aside the Karnataka High Court order. "It's a matter of choice, nothing more nothing less," Justice Dhulia said while pronouncing the order. The arguments in the matter went on for 10 days in which 21 lawyers from the petitioners' side and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, Additional Solicitor General KM Nataraj, Karnataka Advocate General Prabhuling Navadgi argued for the respondents.

Various petitioners have approached the apex court challenging the Karnataka HC order upholding the Karnataka government's order which directs strict enforcement of schools and colleges' uniform rules. The appeal said the High Court in its impugned order "had vehemently failed to apply its mind and was unable to understand the gravity of the situation as well as the core aspect of the Essential Religious Practices enshrined under Article 25 of the Constitution of India". The hijab row erupted in January this year when the Government PU College in Udupi allegedly barred six girls wearing the hijab from entering. Following this, the girls sat in protest outside the college over being denied entry.

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As a result, the Karnataka government said that all students must adhere to the uniform and banned both hijab and saffron scarves till an expert committee decided on the issue. -PTC News with ANI inputs