'Hijab won't be allowed during PUC examination': Karnataka education minister BC Nagesh
"Students must wear uniforms and write the exam, just like last year. Students who wear a hijab will not be permitted to take the exam. The rules must be followed. The educational institutions and the government are following the rules," said BC Nagesh.
FollowStudents wearing the hijab will not be permitted to sit for the second pre-university course (PUC) examinations, which are set to begin on March 9, said the Karnataka education minister BC Nagesh.
"Students must wear uniforms and write the exam, just like last year. Students who wear a hijab will not be permitted to take the exam. The rules must be followed. The educational institutions and the government are following the rules," said Nagesh.
The minister also claimed that the number of Muslim students who took exams after the hijab ban had increased; however, he did not provide specific numbers to support his claims.
"More Muslim sisters appeared for exams after the hijab ban, and more Muslim girl students are now enrolled. Our data show that following the hijab issue, the number of Muslim sisters who appeared for exams and their enrolment ratio increased," he claimed.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Friday denied a request for an immediate listing of petitions seeking a directive to Karnataka government institutions to allow students to appear for examinations while wearing the hijab.
"I will form a Bench," said a Bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud after an advocate requested an urgent hearing of the petition because the girls were about to lose another academic year because exams were set to begin on March 9 in government schools that did not allow hijab. The Supreme Court will close for the Holi holiday on March 6 and reopen on March 13.
A three-judge bench comprised of chief justice Ritu Raj Awasthi, justice Krishna S Dixit, and justice JM Khazi delivered a 129-page verdict on March 15, 2022, ruling that the hijab was not an 'essential religious practice,' paving the way for the state's ban on hijab in pre-university colleges.
The verdict came after eight Muslim students approached the court after being banned from entering class while wearing the hijab.
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