Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday declared the withdrawal of the state’s controversial ban on wearing hijabs in educational institutions.
Citing individual freedom and the right to personal choice, CM Siddaramaiah stated, “Women can wear hijabs and go to colleges. I have directed officers to withdraw the ban order. Choice of dress and food is personal. Why should I obstruct? Wear what you want. Eat what you want. I wear dhoti, you wear pant shirt. What’s wrong in that? One mustn’t do politics for votes.”
Siddaramaiah further stated that residents of the state are free to wear and eat anything they choose.
Siddaramaiah called Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s tagline “sab ka saath, sab ka vikas” “bogus” in a post on X. The Karnataka chief minister further stated that the BJP was “doing the work of dividing people and society on the basis of clothes, dress, and caste,” and that he had directed the hijab ban order to be withdrawn.
The BJP government’s hijab ban, implemented in February 2022, had drawn widespread criticism from students, activists, and religious leaders. The ban triggered protests and legal battles, with several petitions challenging its constitutionality. The issue also fueled political tensions, with accusations of religious discrimination and appeasement hurled by various groups.
The Karnataka High Court, in response to the controversy surrounding the ban on head coverings, including the hijab, in educational institutions, upheld the state’s ban. The court asserted that wearing a hijab is “not an essential religious practice of Islam” and emphasized the importance of following uniform dress rules prescribed by educational institutions. This decision came after several students challenged the ban in court.
The dispute went to the Supreme Court, which delivered a split judgement, with one justice believing that the state is permitted to enforce uniform in schools and the other describing hijab as a matter of choice.
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