Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Sept 8: The Supreme Court on Thursday said the petitioners in the case challenging the hijab ban in Karnataka government educational institutions that any comparision to the turbans worn by Sikhs would be incorrect.
The Supreme Court has recognised turbans worn by Sikhs as one of the five essential components of Sikhism, according to a bench presided over by Justice Hemant Gupta.
“There are requirement on turbans. Five-judge bench of this court held that wearing turban and kirpan is essential for Sikhs. That is why we are saying comparison with Sikh may not be proper. 5Ks of Sikh has been held to be mandatory,” said Justice Gupta.
For one of the petitioners, attorney Nizam Pasha said that the same is the case with hijab for Muslim women.
“Just like the 5Ks for Sikhs is the 5 pillars of Islam and that is the exact position for us,” he said.
“Please do not compare with Sikhism. It has been completely ingrained in Indian culture,” Justice Gupta maintained.
“Similarly Islam is also there for 1400 years and the Hijab is also present,” Pasha said.
Relevantly, Pasha added that the ruling by the Karnataka High Court maintaining the hijab ban was almost blasphemous. He claimed that the High Court had noted that because Quranic prescription date back more than 1500 years, they are irrelevant today.
On September 12, Senior Counsel Salman Khurshid will present his case at the hearing.
