Hijab row: Student challenges Karnataka HC direction asking not to wear religious clothes till further notice

A student has moved to India's Supreme Court challenging the direction of the Karnataka state High Court that asked students not to wear any religious clothes on campuses of educational institutions which can instigate people till the matter is resolved.

The appeal in the apex court contended that the HC has sought to curtail the fundamental right of Muslim female students by not allowing them to wear the hijab, reports our New Delhi correspondent.

The plea has sought a stay in the direction of the high court, which is hearing the hijab issue, as well as the proceedings going on before the three-judge bench in Bengaluru.

The Karnataka state HC has posted the matter for hearing on Monday and also said educational institutions can resume classes for students.

The high court's three-judge full bench of Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi, Justice J M Khazi and Justice Krishna S Dixit, which was formed on Wednesday, also said it wanted the matter to be resolved at the earliest but till that time peace and tranquillity is to be maintained.

"Till the disposal of the matter, you people should not insist on wearing all these religious things," Awasthi had said.

"We will pass an order. Let the schools-colleges start. But till the matter is resolved, no student should insist on wearing a religious dress", he had said.

The hijab controversy started in December-end when a few students started coming to a government pre-university college in Udupi wearing hijab. To protest against it, some Hindu students turned up wearing saffron scarves.

The row spread to other educational institutions in different parts of the southern state and the protests took a violent turn at some places earlier this week, prompting the government on Tuesday to declare three days holiday for the institutions.