Hardliners seek wider India ban on hijab in class after court verdict

AHMEDABAD/LUCK-NOW, (India): Hardline Hindu groups are demanding restrictions on wearing the hijab in classrooms in more Indian states after a court upheld a ban on the traditional Islamic head-scarf in Karnataka state, worrying Muslim students who had protested against the ban.

The Karnataka High Court decision on Tuesday, backing the southern state’s ban on the hijab in February, has also been welcomed by top federal ministers from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who say students should avoid wearing religious clothing in class.

A female Muslim student has already appealed the verdict in the country’s highest court, which could take up the matter later this month, her lawyer said on Twitter on Wednesday.

India court upholds Karnataka state's ban on hijab in class

There is no national guideline on uniforms in India, and states often leave it to schools to decide what their students should wear.

“We are a Hindu nation and we do not want to see any kind of religious outfit in educational institutes of the country,” said Rishi Trivedi, president of the Hindu-first group Akhil Bharat Hindu MahaSabha.