Udupi college students used uniforms: Govt to HC

The February 5 notification on student uniform gave autonomy to college development committees (CDCs) in government colleges, and managements in private colleges, to prescribe student uniforms, Karnataka advocate general Prabhuling K Navadgi contended in the high court on Friday.

The question of proscribing or prescribing hijab did not arise, he argued before a full bench of chief justice Ritu Raj Awasthi and justices Krishna S Dixit and Justice Khazi Jaibunnisa Mohiuddin. The notification was 'innocuous' and did not 'affect rights' of the petitioners, he contended. The argument that the notification 'discriminated against Muslim women' and was 'communal' was 'baseless', he argued. The government has 'not interfered' on student uniforms, but students should follow whatever CDCs prescribed, he argued.

The AG said the February 5 notification was in 'accordance with the Karnataka Education Act, 1983'. The government stand is that hijab was 'not an essential religious practice of Islam' against the argument that wearing of hijab was a part of the Fundamental Rights, he said.


Navadgi contended that the Government Pre-University College in Udupi had a uniform since 2013. There were CDC resolutions to that effect and one of them in 2018 resolved to retain uniform for girls. There was no issue until a group of students 'recently insisted' that they would wear hijab, he contended. The said girls college of 956 students had 'prescribed a uniform for discipline'.

The CDC passed another resolution on January 1, which said since 1985 students wore uniform without raising a question. But a group of Muslim girls did not comply with the resolution, Navadgi contended. The state, thereafter, set up a high-level committee and CDC passed another resolution on January 25 to maintain status quo and requested parents to ask their wards to 'follow the uniform as before'. Students filed the writ petitions after this resolution was passed. The government notification of February 5 had not been passed then, he contended.