Hijab verdict : Telangana CM slams Karnataka govt; 'Why are you charging the atmosphere?'

After the Karnataka High Court, on March 15, put to rest the HIjab controversy with a landmark judgement, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao accused the Karnataka government of interfering with the personal choice of citizens and creating an atmosphere of unrest. He suggested that the controversy shouldn't have made its way to court in the first place. The Karnataka High court on March 15 ruled that Hijab is "not an essential practice in Islam" and "uniform is a reasonable restriction."

"What does the government have to do with who wears what? Why the hijab controversy? Why are you charging up the atmosphere?", Rao said in a statement in the Telangana Assembly.

Earlier, on February 13, the Telangana Chief Minister, in a public rally in Bhogir, had lashed out on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of converting Bengaluru, the Silicon Valley of India into 'Kashmir valley' by igniting the hijab issue. He said, "The Government is creating social unrest by raking up such issues. This will drive investors away from the country, which will be a big blow to employment generation in the country.

“What is happening in Karnataka? Women and girls are being harassed in the name of religion. Bengaluru, the Indian Silicon Valley is being turned into Kashmir valley with religious fanaticism… If the eco and peace fabric of the country is ruined, who will come forward to invest and create employment opportunities,” Rao had said.

Hijab verdict: HC upholds Karnataka government's order

Pronouncing its judgement on Tuesday, the Karrnata HC dismissed petitions seeking to allow Muslim women to wear Hijab in educational institutions. A 3-judge bench comprising  Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi, Justice Krishna Dixit and Justice JM Khazi pronounced the verdict. The court thus upheld that school uniforms "comprise reasonable restrictions" that the right to freedom is subject to, thereby dismissing petitions against the Karnataka government's order against wearing of headscarves in schools. The petitioners are likely to move the Supreme Court soon. 

Anas Tanwir, the Advocate-On-Record in the SC who met some girls affected by the hijab verdict said, "These girls have not lost hope in Courts and Constitution."