SC issues notice to Karnataka on pleas against HC order refusing to lift ban on hijab

The SC has issued notice to the Karnataka government on petitions challenging the Karnataka high court verdict that wearing hijab by Muslim women was not an essential religious practice. SC will hear the case next Monday.

A division bench headed by justice Hemant Gupta disapproved a request for adjournment by some petitioners. “This is not acceptable. You asked for early hearing time and again… Now it is listed, you ask for (more time). We will not permit forum shopping,” justice Gupta said. The observation came after the bench was informed that a letter seeking more time was circulated.

A full bench of the Karnataka HC had on March 15 ruled that wearing headscarves was not a mandatory practice in Islam. The HC upheld the ban on hijab by the state government in schools and colleges through a February 5 executive order, which led to widespread protests. Muslim girl students from various colleges in Karnataka approached HC after they were denied permission to attend classes wearing hijab.