What does the govt have to do with who wears what?: KCR on K'taka hijab ban

Hyderabad: After the Karnataka High Court ruled that hijab is not an essential religious practice, Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao accused the Karnataka government of interfering with the personal choice of citizens and creating an atmosphere of unrest. He said the controversy shouldn't have made its way to the court in the first place.

"What does the government have to do with who wears what? Why the hijab controversy? Why are you charging up the atmosphere?" KCR said in a statement in the Telangana Assembly on Tuesday.

The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday upheld the hijab ban and dismissed various petitions filed by Muslim students challenging the ban on hijab in educational institutions in the state.

The court ruled that the hijab is not an essential religious practice in the Islamic faith and thus is not protected under Article 25 of the Constitution. Hence, the court said that wearing a hijab is not a constitutionally protected right that could overrule the official dress code. "Prescription of school uniform is only a reasonable restriction, constitutionally permissible which students cannot object to," the court said in its hearing.

Hyderabad-based All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asasuddin Owaisi said he disagreed with the Karnataka High Court's judgment. "Banning headscarf definitely harms devout Muslim women and their families as it prevents them from accessing education," he tweeted.

"When Ireland's govt changed the rules for police uniforms to allow hijab and Sikh turban, the Modi govt welcomed it. So why double standards at home & abroad? Hijab and turbans of the uniform's colors can be allowed to be worn," he said and added that the GO and HC order suspends the fundamental rights.

He further tweeted, "I hope this judgment will not be used to legitimize the harassment of hijab-wearing women. One can only hope and eventually be disappointed when this starts happening to hijab-wearing women in banks, hospitals, public transport, etc."

Earlier, on 13 February, the Telangana Chief Minister, in a public rally in Bhogir, had lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of converting Bengaluru, the Silicon Valley of India, into "Kashmir valley" by igniting the hijab issue. He had said, "The government is creating social unrest by raking up such issues. This will drive investors away from the country, which will be a big blow to employment generation in the country."