Hijab Ban- Karnataka High Court Full Bench Hearing(Day 4)- LIVE UPDATES

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16 Feb 2022 1:57 PM IST

  • Hijab Ban- Karnataka High Court Full Bench Hearing(Day 4)- LIVE UPDATES

    Karnataka High Court Full Bench will continue hearing on a batch of petitions challenging the hijab ban in educational institutions.The matter is before a bench comprising Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi, Justice Krishna S Dixit and Justice JM Khazi will hear the petitions today at 2.30 PM.On Friday the Court requested the State to re-open the educational institutions at the earliest and...

    Karnataka High Court Full Bench will continue hearing on a batch of petitions challenging the hijab ban in educational institutions.

    The matter is before a bench comprising Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi, Justice Krishna S Dixit and Justice JM Khazi will hear the petitions today at 2.30 PM.

    On Friday the Court requested the State to re-open the educational institutions at the earliest and has restrained students from wearing any sort of religious clothes in classrooms, regardless of their faith, while the matter is pending hearing.

    Senior advocate Devadatt Kamat appearing on behalf of aggrieved students made extensive arguments on Monday. It is the petitioner's case that the right to wear hijab is an essential religious practice under Islam, and the State is not empowered to interfere with such rights under Articles 14,19 and 25 of the Constitution.

    Yesterday, Kamat had underscored that the declaration made by the State government that wearing of a headscarf is not protected by Article 25 of the Constitution was "totally erroneous'. It was also submitted that the conduct of the State government in delegating to the College Development Committee (CDC) to decide whether to allow headscarves or not is 'totally illegal'.

    Live Updates

    • 16 Feb 2022 3:33 PM IST

      Kumar : Kindly take judicial note of the fact that an MLA will be representing a political party or a political ideology. Sir, can you entrust the welfare of the students to a political party or a political ideology?

    • 16 Feb 2022 3:31 PM IST

      Kumar : Everything is wrong to give MLAs administrative powers. That will be a death knell to our democracy. MLAs are to be fearless in the floor of the house. They can't be made subordinate to the Govt.

    • 16 Feb 2022 3:31 PM IST

      Kumar: Sir, in the year 2015, Govt constituted a committee under local MLAs, for distributing houses under the Free housing scheme. That order was challenged as MLAs can't be given administrative powers.

      J Dixit : Was it struck down?

      Kumar : I myself argued it. Order stayed.

    • 16 Feb 2022 3:29 PM IST

      Kumar : Now under the CDC, MLAs take over the administration. MLA cannot be entrusted with any administrative power. That is unknown in our Constitution, it violates the separation of powers.

    • 16 Feb 2022 3:28 PM IST

      Kumar: In our constitution, it is the representative of peoples who hold the govt accountable. The hallmark of our democracy is holding the govt accountable by elected representatives. How can they be regarded as subordinate to govt?

    • 16 Feb 2022 3:28 PM IST

      Kumar refers to the composition of CDCs. It consists of MLAs.

      Can MLAs be treated as subordinate to the Govt?, he asks.

    • 16 Feb 2022 3:27 PM IST

      Kumar: The power to discipline students is I am saying is police powers.

      CJ: You say that CDC has no power to prescribe uniform.

      Kumar : Right.

    • 16 Feb 2022 3:26 PM IST

      Justice Dixit : What is the police power sir? Sanskrit pathshalas prescribe uniforms, can it be police power.

      Kumar : Supervisions over students is called police powers.

      Justice Dixit : Judicial opinion is different. It is termed parental power not police power.

    • 16 Feb 2022 3:25 PM IST

      CJ : Why cannot uniform be related to maintaining academic standards? To maintain student discipline..

      Kumar : By no stretch of imagination, uniform can be related to academic standards. CDC cannot have police power over students.

    • 16 Feb 2022 3:24 PM IST

      CJ : Whether uniform can't be prescribed to maintain academic standards?

      Kumar : With great respect, academic standards have no relation with uniform. Academic standards deal with student-teacher, syllabus etc. CDC cannot have police powers over the students.

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