Karnataka Hijab row: Supreme Court to schedule hearing soon

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to examine a plea for hearing by a group of students seeking permission to allow them to appear in annual examinations in Karnataka's pre-university colleges with their Hijab (head scarf).

Advocate Shadan Farasat, appearing on behalf of the students, submitted before a bench of Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud and Justice P S Narasimha that they had to appear in annual examinations beginning from March 9 in the government colleges.

The bench queried the counsel, "why are they prevented from taking the examination?" The counsel replied 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.

The bench said the plea for listing would be examined.

The top court was informed that the students just wanted permission to appear in examinations with their 'hijab', and all these students had already shifted themselves to private colleges but they would have to go to government colleges to appear in examinations.

The counsel asked the court to fix the interim application for hearing.

On January 23, the Supreme Court had agreed to examine a plea to constitute a three-judge bench to consider petitions challenging ban on hijab in classrooms of pre university colleges in Karnataka.