Karnataka revokes 2022 order, allows hijab in schools, colleges

BENGALURU: Nearly four years after Karnataka emerged as the national epicentre of the hijab row, the state govt Wednesday formally withdrew a contentious 2022 order on dress codes at educational institutions, issued by the erstwhile BJP-led govt.

Replacing the earlier order with a fresh policy, the state govt has now allowed students to wear "limited community or belief-based symbols" — including the turban, sacred thread (janivara), shivadaara, rudraksh and headscarf/hijab — along with prescribed uniforms in schools and colleges across the state. This includes all govt, aided, and private institutions.

School education and literacy minister Madhu Bangarappa said the new rule would come into force from the ensuing academic year and would be applicable to all educational institutions from class 1 to 12 across Karnataka.

The state govt's decision to revoke the earlier order and permit students to wear religious and community-based symbols comes at a politically sensitive time, with the Federation of Karnataka State Muslim Organisations (KSMO) set to hold a mega Muslim Convention in Bengaluru Saturday.

The organisation has also announced it will release a report, titled ‘What did the Congress govt promise? What has it done? What next?' outlining a charter of demands relating to the Muslim community, including the hijab ban.

In a sharp reaction to the latest decision, principal opposition BJP accused the govt of practising "selective secularism". It alleged the Congress-led govt was trying to revive the hijab issue for "vote-bank appeasement" after recent political setbacks.

Recalling a recent controversy surrounding the removal of the janivara worn by a student at a Common Entrance Test (CET) centre in the city, Bangarappa told the media in Bengaluru: "The decision to allow wearing of these symbols has been taken in the best interest of students."

Accompanied by health minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, who had publicly criticised a Bengaluru college for allegedly forcing a student to remove his sacred thread, and Shivajinagar MLA Rizwan Arshad, Bangarappa said the govt had decided to permit symbols associated with all religions and communities, provided they do not interfere with institutional discipline.

In their reaction, BJP leaders pointed out that the move undermined the spirit of the Karnataka high court's 2022 judgment on uniforms and warned that educational institutions should not become spaces for religious polarisation.

A two-judge Supreme Court bench later delivered a split verdict on the case. Following the split, the matter is pending before a larger bench to be constituted by the Chief Justice of India.

Defending the latest decision, the state govt stated that secularism does not imply opposition to personal faith or beliefs. "Instead, it means giving equal respect to all," the order noted.

Bangarappa maintained that the revised order attempts to strike a "constitutional balance" between institutional discipline and individual freedoms.

While the govt order explicitly lists hijab, turban, sacred thread and rudraksh as permissible religious symbols, it is silent on saffron shawls or the taqiyah (skull cap), which had gained political traction at the height of the hijab row.

The latest govt order emphasises that no student should either be compelled to wear religious symbols or forced to remove them if they comply with institutional norms and prescribed uniforms.

* Karnataka withdraws 2022 hijab-related dress code order

* New policy allows hijab, turban, sacred thread, rudraksh with school uniforms

* Revised rule to apply from class 1-12 from coming academic year

* BJP accuses Congress govt of "vote-bank appeasement"

* Govt says new order balances institutional discipline with individual freedom