At least 10 girls registered a First Information Report (FIR) for violating the ban at a protest over the hijab issue outside a university in Karnataka on February 17.

An ANI post said the FIR was filed under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) in response to protests outside the PU Academy in Queen Tumkur’s government.

This comes a day after the Karnataka government said in the Supreme Court that the hijab is not a fundamental religious practice of Islam and that blocking its use does not violate Article 25 of the Indian Constitution, which guarantees freedom of religion.

The Supreme Court is considering a series of petitions by some Muslim girls against a ban on hijabs in educational institutions.

The full bench of the Supreme Court comprising Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi, Justice JM Khazi and Justice Krishna S Dixit is hearing the matter.

In an interim order, the court barred students from wearing religious clothing on campus pending a final order on the matter.

Banning the hijab would have banned the Koran, the girls said in their pleas. Vinod Kulkarni, a lawyer representing Muslim girls, said: “Poor Muslim girls are restricted from wearing the hijab. I urge the court to issue an order allowing girls to wear the hijab on Fridays, Juma Day and Ramadan.”

Schools in the southern state reopened this week after being closed for days after widespread protests over the issue.

Proceedings have been brought against some individuals for breaching the injunction issued by the Shivamogga Regional Authority under Section 144 of the CrPC. They had protested against PU University authorities in the city where the district headquarters is located for not allowing Muslim girls to wear the burqa on campus.

Complete News Source : Hindustan Times