Hijab not allowed during PU examinations: Minister

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: On Friday, the Karnataka School Education and Literacy Minister BC Nagesh said that students wearing a hijab will not be allowed to write their Pre-University College (PUC) examinations.

“The examinations for 2nd PUC students will begin on March 9, 2023. As the hijab is not a part of the uniform, the students won’t be allowed to write the exams wearing it,” he said while addressing media personnel in Bengaluru. he Supreme Court on Friday said that it will set up a three-judge bench to hear the plea of Muslim girls students who want to sit for the examinations at government schools while wearing a hijab.

“I will create a bench,” said a bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices PS Narasimha and JB Pardiwala without specifying a date. A woman lawyer sought the urgent hearing as the examinations are fast approaching, only five days away, and the girls may miss out on another academic year. Following a split verdict by the apex court, girls wearing a hijab are not allowed to take examinations in government institutions.

On March 15, 2022, the Karnataka High Court dismissed the petitions filed by a section of Muslim students ruling that it is not part of the essential religious practice in the Islamic faith. These developments came after massive protests in the state, especially in the coastal region.