Some private colleges in the district allowed hijab-wearing students to take the exam. (Representative)
Udupi, Karnataka:
40 Muslim girl students from Karnataka’s Udupi district on Tuesday avoided taking part in the first pre-university examination as they were hurt by the recent High Court ruling against wearing hijab inside classrooms.
Sources said that the students decided not to appear in the examination without wearing head scarf as they were hurt by the March 15 order.
The Karnataka High Court on March 15 dismissed petitions seeking permission to wear the hijab inside the classroom, holding that headscarfs are not a part of the religious practice required in the Islamic faith and where uniform dress rules are followed in educational institutions. should have been determined.
Those who refused the exam on Tuesday included 24 from Kundapur, 14 from Bindoor and two from Government Girls PU College in Udupi, who are involved in a legal battle over wearing hijab in classes. The girl students had already boycotted the practical examinations.
At RN Shetty PU College, 13 out of 28 Muslim girl students took the exam. Although some students reached the examination center wearing hijab, they were not allowed.
Four out of five girl students appeared in the examination at Bhandarkar College in Udupi, while all the girl students of Basrur Sharda College appeared in the examination.
Six out of eight girl students of Navunda Government PU College did not take the exam, while only two out of 10 Muslim girl students appeared for the exam.
Sources said that some private colleges in the district have allowed students wearing hijab to appear in the examination.
The Supreme Court on March 24 refused to urgently hear the petitions challenging the Karnataka High Court’s decision. The students, however, are planning to wait till the apex court’s order on the issue.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)