The Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court Ritz Raj Awash on Wednesday constituted a full bench comprising himself, Justice Krishna S Dix it, and Justice J M Khaki which will look into the Hijab issue on Thursday. Earlier in the day, the single judge of the Karnataka High Court, hearing the hijab ban case in school-college campuses, referred the matter to Chief Justice Ritz Raj Awash with a view that the CJ may decide on constituting a larger bench to look into the case.
Justice Krishna S Dix it, who was hearing since Tuesday a batch of petitions against the Hijab ban in classrooms, maintained that these matters give rise to certain constitutional questions of seminal importance in view of certain aspects of personal law.
In view of the enormity of questions of importance that were debated, the court is of the considered opinion that the Chief Justice should decide if a larger bench can be constituted in the "subject" matter, Justice Dix it said.
“The bench was also of the view that the interim prayers should also be placed before the larger bench that may be constituted by Chief Justice Awash exercising his discretion,” Justice Dix it noted in the order.
Earlier in the day, a massive protest march, led by Muslim women of several organizations, was taken out in Karnataka’s Kabuki demanding Hijab be allowed in the state’s educational institutes as the government reiterated its position of “no-compromise” on its circular to ban headscarves in public schools and colleges. In the backdrop of incidents of violence reported due to the hijab row, Karnataka Education Minister BC Naresh told CNN-NEWS18 that the “government will hold its ground and not compromise” and also investigate the “role of Popular Front of India (PF I) in the protests”.
“We have requested the police to investigate if Campus Front of India (CFI) or PF I is behind this (protests). After investigation, things will be taken into consideration and the Chief Minister and the state home department will look into it. We will not compromise and will stick to our stand. The government’s stand is clear. Our circular is sent out, and we stand by that. Students can’t be separated. No compromise,” Naresh said.
Two additional battalions of Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) were deployed in Simona, while four senior officers were rushed to the district after the hijab-saffron shawl row turned violent in various parts of the city. Prohibitory orders were enforced in Simona on Tuesday for two days, under Section 144 of the CRPC. Five cases have been lodged in connection with Tuesday’s violence — three at Simona Gate police station, one each at Shikarpur and Sager town police stations. Police are scrutinizing yesterday’s video footage to detain people who indulged in violence.
According to police, some students hurled stones at government first-grade college in the city’s area, in which students were injured. They were staging protests in the premises of the college, demanding the authorities concerned either to permit them to attend classes wearing a saffron shawl or ban the hijab. Some sustained minor injuries as agitators hurled stones at the college. They were admitted to the district McGann teaching hospital in the city. Police stated that prohibitory orders will remain in force in Simona city till February 9. The Assembly of five or more people in public places has been banned.
Meanwhile, after ordering the closure of all high schools and colleges in the state for the next three days amid the controversy, Karnataka Chief Minister Pommies landed in Bengaluru from Delhi and immediately met DGP Praveen Soon around midnight. Besides the DGP, home and education ministers were also present. The CM also met the Superintendents of Police (SPS) and asked them to impose section 144 in their respective district, “wherever required, without consulting the government”
You must be logged in to post a comment.