[Hijab Ban] Supreme Court refuses early hearing of appeal against Karnataka HC verdict; matter to be listed after Holi

The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused an early hearing of the appeals against the Karnataka High Court verdict which effectively upheld the ban on wearing hijab in educational institutions in the State..The matter was mentioned today by Senior Advocate Sanjay Hegde, who said,"The urgency is this that there are several girls who have to attend colleges."However, Chief Justice of India NV Ramana refused to list the matter on Monday, saying,"Others have mentioned too. We will post the matter after Holi vacations.".The plea mentioned by Hegde stated that the High Court judgment creates an unreasonable classification between Muslim and non-Muslim female students in violation of the concept of Secularism, which forms part of the Basic Structure of the Indian Constitution.The petitioners sought early listing of the appeal in light of the facts that preparatory exams were ongoing and that Muslim girl students would face the risk of missing classes on account of not being allowed to wear hijab..A similar appeal challenging the verdict said that the High Court "failed to note that the right to wear a Hijab comes under the ambit of ‘expression’ and is thus protected under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution."It also contended that the High Court failed to take note of the fact that the right to wear Hijab comes under the ambit of the right to privacy under Article 21 of the Constitution of India..[BREAKING] Hijab Ban: Appeal filed in Supreme Court against Karnataka High Court verdict .The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday upheld the government order (GO) effectively empowering college development committees of government colleges in the State to ban the wearing of hijab (headscarves) by Muslim girl students in college campus.A three-judge Bench of Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi and Justices Krishna S Dixit and JM Khazi held:- Hijab is not a part of essential religious practices of Islam;- Requirement of uniform is a reasonable restriction on the fundamental right to freedom of expression under Article 19(1)(a);- The government has the power to pass the GO; no case is made out for its invalidation.