Some advocates have also argued that the matter be moved to a constitutional bench of five judges.
New Delhi:
Two judges are expected to issue Supreme Court rulings on petitions challenging the ban on the hijab – the headscarf worn by some Muslim women – in schools and colleges in Karnataka on Thursday.
A bench of Judges Hemant Gupta and Sudhanshu Dhulia has reserved its ruling on claims against the Karnataka High Court ruling refusing to lift the head covering ban on May 22. 9 after hearing the argument for 10 days.
A ruling on these pleas is expected this week when Justice Gupta, who is on the bench, will retire on Sunday.
During arguments in the highest court, lawyers appearing for the petitioners asserted that preventing Muslim schoolgirls from wearing headscarves to class would jeopardize their education. because they can stop taking classes.
They raised various aspects, including a ban on wearing clothing that affects equality, integrity and public order in schools and colleges, including the February 5, 2022 ban of state government and compare the headscarf to vampires or the turbans of Hindus and Sikhs.
Some advocates have also argued that the matter be moved to a constitutional bench of five judges.
Lawyers appearing for the state have argued that the controversial Karnataka government order is “religiously neutral”.
Affirming that inciting support for the wearing of the hijab in educational institutions was not a “spontaneous act” by a few individuals, state attorneys general argued in the Supreme Court that the government would “commits an unconstitutional crime” if one fails to act the way it did.
On March 15, the high court dismissed claims by a section of Muslim students from the Government College Preparatory Girls College in Udupi of Karnataka that wanted permission to wear the hijab in class. , arguing that this is not part of an essential religious practice in the Islamic Faith.
The state government’s February 5, 2022 order was opposed by some Muslim girls in the high court. Several pleas have been filed with the highest court challenging the high court’s ruling.
