Bengaluru: Karnataka Education Minister B.C. Nagesh on Friday stated that students wearing hijab will not be allowed inside the examination centres.
The II PUC (class 12) examinations are set to begin on March 9 in the state.
Speaking to reporters Nagesh maintained that students should attend exams wearing uniforms and hijabs are not part of it.
Those who want to write exams wearing hijab won't be allowed into the examination hall, Nagesh added.
Minister Nagesh further claimed that there is an increase in the number of Muslim students who appeared for the examinations after the hijab ban.
"After the hijab ban, more number of Muslim sisters appeared for examinations and the enrolment of Muslim girl students has increased," he added.
The hijab case, which is in the Supreme Court, is likely to be taken up after the Holi vacation. Many students abstained from attending the examination as they were not allowed to wear hijabs and write exams.
The Minister's statement is significant in light of the Supreme Court agreeing to set up a bench to hear a plea on the students being allowed to wear hijabs in state-run institutions across Karnataka.
The case, which was heard before a bench comprising Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and PS Narasimha, was going to be postponed till after the court's Holi break but the lawyer representing the girls stated that the exam will begin in five days. The apex court then agreed to set up a bench to hear the case.
The Karnataka High Court had earlier rejected the applications in this regard by students and upheld the government order on uniforms. It also said hijab is not an essential part of Islam.
A report by the Human Rights Organisation, the People's Union for Civil Liberties, published in September, revealed that the hijab ban has deprived thousands of Muslim girl students of education as they chose to drop out of the institutes due to the rule.
(With inputs from IANS)
