Lagatar24 Desk
Bengaluru, Feb 17: The three-judge bench of the Karnataka high court resumed hearing petitions challenging the hijab ban on Thursday, adjourning the hearing till Friday. On February 18, the bench, led by Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi, will resume hearings at 2:30 p.m.
The bench dismissed one of the petitions, filed by a social activist, during today’s hearing, stating that the plea is “not maintainable.”
“You’re wasting our time in such a precious matter,” the bench told advocate Rahmathulla Kotwal, who was representing the activist.
Party-in-person Vinod Kulkarni also requested the bench to allow students to wear Hijab to schools on Fridays, to which the court said, “Okay, we will consider your request.”
Meanwhile, protests against the ban on hijab on college campuses continued on Thursday, with numerous students refusing to remove their headscarves after being told by college administrators to do so, instead electing to leave the campus.
Pre-university (PU) and degree colleges in Karnataka reopened a day ago after the state government ordered the suspension of all educational facilities on February 8 as pro- and anti-hijab protests spiralled out of control. On Monday, courses for students in kindergarten through tenth grade resumed.
Notably, the Karnataka high court has ordered that religious dress be prohibited in schools and colleges till the case is resolved.
