Karnataka government has decided to open schools and colleges in a phased manner after a high court proposal banning religious garments in educational institutions, till the matter is pending with the court. On Monday, schools up to class 10 reopened whereas classes 11 and 12 are closed till Wednesday. Senior advocate Devadatt Kamat, appearing for the petitioner against the hijab ban argued that the colleges can't decide on such a ban as they don't have any legal basis.

Advocate Kamat said, "To allow the College Development Committee to decide whether to allow students to wear headscarves or not is totally illegal. The only restriction that can be imposed under Article 25 is public order, which can only be imposed by the state. Can a college development committee consisting of an MLA and some subordinates decide on exercising fundamental freedom? How can a statutory authority be made the guardian of our fundamental rights?"

The three-judge bench comprising of Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court Ritu Raj Awasthi, Justice Krishna S Dixit, and Justice JM Khazi will continue hearing the hijab case. Students are allowed to attend classes without wearing any religious garments until the case is solved. The government of Karnataka is likely to come up with new guidelines on the usage of Hijab.

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