Karnataka HC says wearing religious garments confined to students only

This clarification was given after a lawyer informed the Court that teachers are being compelled to remove their headscarves.

The Karnataka High Court orally clarified on Wednesday that its interim decision of February 10 prohibiting students from wearing hijab, saffron scarves, or using religious flags while attending courses at Karnataka institutions with a defined uniform applies only to students, not professors.

This clarification was given after a lawyer informed the Court that teachers are being compelled to remove their headscarves. "The order applies primarily to students," Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi stated.

According to the High Court Chief Justice Awasthi, the interim ruling would also apply to degree colleges and pre-university institutes that have a mandated uniform. "If a uniform is specified, they must wear it whether they are in a degree college, a government institution, or a PU College," he stated.

According to Awasthi, the full bench's interim recommendation on prohibiting religious clothes in educational institutions applies only to students. However, all students must obey the uniform code if it is mandated. The Bench also inquired about the involvement of the Campus Front of India from the state government (CFI).

Six female students from a college in Udupi attended a news conference given by the CFI in the coastal town in January to protest the college administrators' refusal to allow them to enter courses while wearing a hijab. Meanwhile, Senior Advocate SS Naganand, standing on behalf of one of the PU institutions, stated that the CFI initiated the hijab issue by meeting with students and officials and insisting that students be permitted to wear hijab. The Karnataka High Court will hear the matter again on February 24.