Bengaluru: Karnataka’s Education Minister, Madhu Bangarappa, confirmed on Friday that the hijab ban in educational institutions will remain in effect until the Supreme Court delivers a final ruling on the matter, reported the Hindustan Times.
Speaking ahead of the SSLC examinations, Bangarappa stated that the existing dress code, which prohibits the headscarf, will continue as per court directives. “Since the matter is in court, we will not take any further decisions on it… What is allowed by the court (dress code) will remain,” he said.
The hijab controversy originated in January 2022 when the BJP-led Karnataka government barred six students from wearing hijabs at the Government PU College in Udupi. This led to widespread protests and counter-protests, with Hindu students donning saffron shawls. The state government subsequently issued an order banning religious attire in institutions with a mandated dress code.
The Karnataka High Court upheld the ban in March 2022, ruling that wearing a hijab was not an essential Islamic practice. The students challenged this verdict in the Supreme Court, which resulted in a split decision, and the case is now pending before a larger bench.
Earlier this month, Bangarappa hinted at a possible review of the ban by the Congress-led government, but on Friday, he declined to comment further due to ongoing legal proceedings.
In addition to the hijab issue, Bangarappa announced a return to pre-pandemic evaluation criteria for SSLC examinations. Students will now need to score a minimum of 35% in all subjects to pass, reversing last year’s temporary relaxation that had lowered the passing threshold to 25% with additional grace marks.
The SSLC exams, scheduled from March 21 to April 4, will see 8,96,447 students appearing across 15,881 high schools in Karnataka. The examination process will be closely monitored through webcasting at 2,818 centres to prevent malpractices.
Similarly, II PU exams have also recorded an increase in student enrollment, with 15,238 more students registering compared to last year. These exams will be conducted across 1,171 centres.
