'Wear Whatever Dress You Want': Siddaramaiah Says Karnataka Govt to Withdraw Hijab Ban

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday announced that he has asked state authorities to withdraw the ban on hijab adding that females can “wear anything they want.”

Speaking at function in Mysuru, the Karnataka chief minister said wearing a dress or eating a food is a personal choice and people should wear and dress what they want.

“We will withdraw. You can wear Hijab and go. I have told them to withdraw the order. Wearing a dress or eating food is your choice. Why should I obstruct. You wear the dress you want. Eat what you want,” Siddaramaiah said.

Taking to microblogging site, X, he said the choice of clothes is one’s own prerogative. He also accused Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) of dividing people and dividing society on the basis of clothes, dress, caste.

Siddaramaiah’s move will overturn Basavaraj Bommai-led BJP government’s 2022 order which banned hijab across educational institutes across the state.

The ban had led to a row in the country and later the Karnataka High Court had also upheld the BJP government’s decision after petitions were filed against the order.

The court said that wearing a hijab is not an essential religious practice of Islam and the uniform dress rule should be followed across the educational institutes in the state.

HIJAB ROW

The hijab controversy began in January this year from Udupi in Karnataka after a batch of students alleged that they were barred from classrooms for wearing hijab. The students started to protest against the college administration.

The Karnataka government issued an order issued on February 5 that the College Development Committee decisions on dress code will be final across all Government PU colleges.

Several petitions have been filed in the apex court against the Karnataka High Court verdict holding that wearing of hijab is not a part of the essential religious practice which can be protected under Article 25 of the Constitution.

The issue snowballed and protests were held across the state — by those supporting the hijab and counterdemonstrations by youth wearing saffron scarves demanding the girls fall in line.

The Karnataka High Court upheld the ban in March 2022. The HC verdict was challenged before Supreme Court hours after judgment. It was on September 22, when the apex court reserved the verdict on pleas and later delivered a split verdict on a batch of petitions.

While Justice Hemant Gupta dismissed the appeals, Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia allowed them, contending that “it’s a matter of choice, nothing more, nothing less”.