Karnataka Hijab Ban: SC To Hear After Holi Students' Plea To Be Allowed To Appear In Exams

The SC on Friday said assured to constitute a bench to hear the plea seeking to allow female students wearing Hijab to appear in an examination in Karnataka.

SC to constitute bench to hear plea seeking to allow Hijab wearing female students to sit in exams

Source : PTI

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday said that it will constitute a bench and hear the plea seeking to allow female students wearing Hijab to appear in an examination to be held after 5 days in Karnataka. The court, however, said that the matter will be listed after Holi, reported ANI.

Hearing the matter, CJI DY Chandrachud said that he will list the matter immediately after Holi. 

Arguing for the plea, the counsel urged the court to hear the matter as the exams are scheduled to take place in five days. Responding to it, the CJI asked why the counsel came on the last date.

Responding to this the counsel for the students said that the matter was mentioned in February also and that they came ten days back too. He asked the court about exams and the uncertainty surrounding it. To this, the CJI said that he could not answer all of their questions.

He said that the matter will be listed immediately after Holi.

According to Bar and Bench, the plea was filed by Shariat Committee seeking permission for hijab-clad students to appear for exams which are 5 days later in Karnataka on March 9.

Earlier on Feb 22, Advocate Shadan Farasat, appearing on behalf of the students, submitted before a bench headed by CJI D.Y. Chandrachud that they had to appear in annual examinations beginning from March 9 in the government colleges, reported IANS.

The bench comprising Justice P.S. Narasimha, asked the counsel, "why are they prevented from taking the examination?" As per the IANS report, the counsel replied that it is because of the headscarf and further added that the students had already lost one year and if no relief was granted, they would lose another year.

As per the report, the Supreme Court in October last year gave a split verdict on petitions challenging the validity of ban on hijab worn by some Muslim girl students in classrooms of pre-university colleges in Karnataka. The split verdict was delivered by a bench comprising Justices Hemant Gupta and Sudhanshu Dhulia.