Minister BC Nagesh served legal notice for “misleading” statements on hijab

Bengaluru:  An organization of lawyers and law students has reportedly sent a legal notice to the Karnataka Minister of Primary and Secondary Education B. C. Nagesh for making “misleading statements” about Karnataka High Court’s order on school uniform rules and hijab.

News portal, The News Minute, reported that the All India Lawyers’ Association for Justice (AILAJ) claimed in the notice that the minister’s statements on March 28 contradicted the state government order of March 25.

In its March 25 order, the government had said that students should appear for the board exams in uniforms fixed by the government or private schools.  The order gave room for interpretation that the students can appear in hijabs if the school uniform rules permitted them. However, on March 28 the minister had said hijabs will not be allowed in any examination halls, and students in hijabs will not be allowed to enter the exam hall, the report added the association as saying.

The association has alleged that the March 28 statement by the minister further contradicts the Karnataka High Court order on the hijab issue.  “The judgment did not impose a blanket ban on hijab. The judgement upheld the G.O. dated 05.02.2022, which specified that any uniform that had been fixed by the government or a private school in accordance with the law has to be adhered to,” the report said quoting from the legal notice to BC Nagesh and added that “the judgment is restricted to the classroom, and the Hon’ble High Court has specifically clarified that “It hardly needs to be stated that this does not rob off the autonomy of women or their right to education inasmuch as they can wear any apparel of their choice outside the classroom.”

The AILAJ has reportedly termed Nagesh’s statements as “irresponsible and misleading” and “are in violation of his constitutional oath and promote communal disharmony.” The organization has also demanded the minister immediately withdraw his statements and issue a clarification, the same report said.