High court sees possibility of unseen hands at work to engineer social unrest & disharmony

Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has suggested the possibility of some ‘unseen hands’ behind the hijab row to engineer social unrest and disharmony. The court also expressed dismay over the issue being blown out of proportion.

“The way hijab imbroglio unfolded gives scope for the argument that some ‘unseen hands’ are at work to engineer social unrest and disharmony. Much is not necessary to specify,” the three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi said in the order.

The full bench also comprising Justice Krishna S Dixit and Justice J M Khazi dismissed a batch of petitions filed by a few Muslim girl students from Udupi Government PU Girls’ College who sought permission that they be allowed to attend classes wearing hijab. The court however, made it clear that it was not commenting on the ongoing police investigation.

During the course of hearing, some counsels had brought to the notice of the court the alleged involvement of the Campus Front of India (CFI) and other organisations in inciting the Muslim students. When the court sought to know, Advocate General Prabhuling Navadgi handed over a letter in a sealed cover to the bench.

“We have perused and returned copies of the police papers that were furnished to us in a sealed cover. We expect a speedy investigation and culprits being brought to book, brooking no delay,” the bench noted.

The judges observed that all was well with the dress code since 2004. It also said that they were impressed that Muslims participate in festivals in the “Ashta Mutt Sampradaya” in Udupi where eight Mutts are situated.  (PTI)