Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Mangalore University, which had earlier allowed headscarves matching the colour of uniforms, has decided that the Karnataka High Court order upholding the hijab ban in pre-university colleges will apply to degree colleges as well and that religious attire will therefore not be allowed inside classrooms.
“Our college initially used to allow girls to wear headscarves matching the colour of the uniform. But after the Karnataka High Court order, and following the meeting with CDC (college development council) president and the MLA of the Mangalore South constituency, Vedavyas Kamath, the student welfare officer, and members of the syndicate, it has been decided that hijab and other religious outfits will not be allowed inside classrooms. There was confusion about whether the high court order would apply to degree colleges. However, according to the advisory of the state government, the higher education council, and the court order, all colleges will have to comply with the uniform,” said vice-chancellor Subrahmanya Yadapadithaya. The meeting was convened after students of a constituent college protested on Thursday against girls wearing the hijab despite the college having a uniform.
Buy Now | Our best subscription plan now has a special price
According to Yadapadithaya, girls are allowed to wear the hijab on campus but must remove it before entering classrooms, the library and the canteen.
The university is also making alternative arrangements for those who insist on wearing the hijab. “We have learned that about 15 girls are firm about wearing the hijab to class. We are ready to counsel these girls and make them understand the Karnataka high court order. If counselling does not work, we will help them get admission in educational institutions where the hijab is allowed or where there are no uniforms,” said Yadapadithaya, adding that the syndicate’s May 16 order called for strictly following the advisory to adhere to uniforms.
The hijab row began in December last year, when six students of a government pre-university girls college in Udupi protested demanding they be allowed to attend classes in the hijab. In February this year, the government issued an order that the hijab could not be allowed in schools and pre-university colleges with uniforms or dress codes. Dismissing petitions filed by a group of Muslim students, a three-judge bench of the high court on March 15 ruled that the prescription of uniforms was only a constitutionally permissible and reasonable restriction, which students could not object to.
Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram
