New Delhi: As protests over the hijab controversy refused to settle down, the single bench of Justice Krishna Dixit of the Karnataka High Court on Wednesday referred petitions challenging the ban on hijab in pre-university colleges to a three-judge bench, including himself.
"In view of the enormity of questions of importance which were debated, the court is of the considered opinion that the Chief Justice should decide if a larger bench can be constituted in the subject matter," news agency PTI quoted Justice Dixit.
The three-judge bench will be headed by Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi and include Justice Krishna Dixit himself and Justice Khazi Jaibunnisa Mohiuddin, who is a woman judge who took oath as an additional judge of the High Court in March last year.
The matter (Hijab controversy) is likely to be heard by the three-judge bench today. The court will hear five petitions on behalf of 18 girls from colleges in Udupi.
Meanwhile, there were no protests in the educational institutions in the state over the hijab row as the government had on Tuesday ordered closure of all high schools and colleges for three days.
The Karnataka government has decided to wait for the High Court order before taking any decision on the issue which has snowballed into a major controversy and left the society divided with varied opinions.
On February 4, some students were allegedly denied entry to a college in Udupi wearing hijab (a headscarf worn by Muslim women) after which protests began in the state against the order.
A circular was released by the pre-University education board stating that students can only wear the uniform approved by the school administration and no other religious practices will be allowed in colleges. The students opposed the decision and began protests in campuses.