Muslim students of Universities & Colleges in Mangaluru went to the Deputy Commissioner’s office to present a memorandum requesting permission to wear hijab in classes.
This comes after the degree college declared a ban on hijab or headscarves on campus on May 16.
“After the court decision, nothing happened, and we went about our tests in peace. However, we recently received an unauthorized message instructing us to attend lessons without wearing a hijab. With HC’s permission, we went to the principal and attempted to speak with him. He expressed his helplessness. VC echoed the same sentiment” Fathima, a student, expressed her thoughts.
On Thursday, students from Mangaluru University College organized a protest on campus against the wearing of hijab in classrooms. The college was chastised by the students for failing to comply with the Karnataka High Court’s directive on hijab in educational institutions.
Hijab demonstrations erupted in Karnataka in January and February of this year, when several students at the Government Girls PU College in the state’s Udupi region said they were prohibited from attending courses. Some students said they were denied admission to the college because they wore hijab during the rallies.
A bench of Karnataka High Court dismissed a batch of petitions filed by Muslim girls studying in pre-university colleges in Udupi seeking the right to wear hijabs in classrooms on March 16, stating that wearing the hijab is not an essential religious practice in Islam and that freedom of religion under Article 25 of the Constitution is subject to reasonable restrictions.
The Court also upheld a state decree issued on February 5 that suggested that wearing hijabs in government institutions where uniforms are required can be prohibited — ruling that “prescription of a school uniform” is a “reasonable restriction” that is “Constitutionally lawful.”
