'Ambedkar Would Be In Tears': Muslim Students on Karnataka HC Hijab Order

Six Muslim students of Government PU College for Girls Udupi said they are letdown by the HC order.

Six students of Government PU College for Girls Udupi said that they feel letdown by the Karnataka High Court. 

(Image: Namita Chauhan\The Quint)

Video Producer: Shohini Bose

Video Editor: Mohd Irshad Alam

The six Muslim students who had approached the Karnataka High Court to get permission to wear hijab to their classes said that they feel let down by the court. In a press conference which was held in Udupi on 15 March, Aliya Assadi, a student leader said, "We live in a secular country where we are allowed to follow religions of our choice. We are shocked by the order."

Referring to constitutional guarantees, student Hazra Shifa said, "Dr BR Ambedkar once said that the constitution is the best, but it will depend on the persons who run it. We were expecting so much from our constitution and country. If today Dr BR Ambedkar were alive, he will literally cry."

She asked, "When the country (constitution) has given us the right to follow our religion, why has the High Court not allowed us to do the same?" As per the Karnataka High Court order, hijab is not an essential religious practice. The students stressed that, in their opinion, hijab is important for their religious practice.

'Parents Still Support Our Fight'

The students said that their parents have been backing them since the time they started their fight for hijab. "They had entrusted their hope in the court. But they are still supporting us. We will take further legal recourse," Aliya Assadi, a student leader said.

A Special Leave Petition was filed in the Supreme Court, on 15 March, challenging the High Court order. "We expect all to respect our religion," a student said. The students said that they are "mentally collapsed" and under a lot of stress.

It is not clear whether the six students would approach the Supreme Court with an appeal. "We are consulting with our lawyers," they said. Meanwhile, authorities at of the Government PU College for Girls, Udupi told media persons that they welcome the ban on hijab.