Ahead of Karnataka HC judgment in Hijab Row, prohibitory orders in districts; schools colleges shut

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], March 15 : Ahead of the Karnataka High Court judgment in the Hijab row case on Tuesday, prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Indian Penal Code have been imposed in Udipi, Shivamogga and Kalburagi among other districts of the state.
Yesterday, District Magistrate Kurma Rao M announced that all schools and colleges in the Udipi will remain closed on March 15. The district administrations of Dakshina Kannada, Haasan, Davangere, and Shivamogga have also ordered schools and colleges to remain closed today.
In Bengaluru the administration has imposed a ban on all public gatherings, celebrations, or protests for one week till March 21, the Bengaluru Police Commissioner, Kamal Pant said yesterday.
Tight police security has been imposed in Hubli with Section 144 imposed in Hubli city in Dharwad. Additional forces has also been called as precautionary measure.
The Hijab row had erupted in January this year when the Government PU College in Udupi allegedly barred six girls wearing the hijab from entering. Following this the girls sat in protest sat outside college over being denied entry.
After this, boys of several colleges in Udupi started attending classes wearing saffron scarves. This protest spread to other parts of the state as well leading to protests and agitations in several places in Karnataka.
As a result the Karnataka government said that all students must adhere to the uniform and banned both hijab and saffron scarfs till an expert committee decides on the issue. On February 5, the pre-University education board released a circular stating that the students can only wear the uniform approved by the school administration and no other religious attire will be allowed in colleges.
The order stated that in case a uniform is not prescribed by management committees, then students should wear dresses that go well with the idea of equality and unity, and does not disturb the social order.
A batch of petitions was filed against the government's rule in the Karnataka High Court by some girls seeking permission to wear the hijab in educational institutions.
A bench of Karnataka High Court comprising Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi, Justice Krishna S Dixit, and Justice JM Khazi heard the petitions challenging the government rule on dress code.
On February 10, the high court issued an interim order stating that said students should not wear any religious attire to classes till the court issues the final order.
The hearings related to the Hijab case were concluded on February 25 and the court had reserved its judgement.