SC agrees to hear pleas challenging K'taka HC's order on hijab next week
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The Supreme Court will hear next week a bunch of petitions against the Karnataka high court's verdict on March 15 which upheld the ban on hijab in educational institutions in the state.
Advocate Prashant Bhushan had mentioned the matter before the Chief Justice of India for urgent listing. Bhushan pointed out that the petitions were filed in March but have not come up even for the preliminary hearing yet.
"These are the hijab matters from Karnataka. Not been listed at all. Filed in March. Students are facing difficulties", Bhushan submitted.
A bench comprising Chief Justice NV Ramana and Justices Krishna Murari and Hima Kohli took note of the submissions made by the lawyer said, "It will be listed sometime next week before the appropriate bench."
The batch of pleas against the Karnataka High Court's verdict in the hijab case had been filed before the Supreme Court in March, shortly after the High Court delivered its verdict.
A three-judge Karnataka High Court bench had on March 15 dismissed a batch of pleas by students against the ban on wearing the hijab (headscarf) in classrooms. The High Court had held that the hijab is not an essential practice under Islam and that uniforms are a reasonable restriction to fundamental rights. The court had added that educational institutions have a right to prescribe dress codes and the students must adhere to the same.