Karnataka Allows Rudraksha, Janeu, Hijab in Classrooms, but Shuts Door on Saffron Shawls
The reversal comes after years of protest and court challenges, and the new directive lets students wear limited religious symbols with uniforms.
- On Wednesday, the Karnataka government withdrew its 2022 order that effectively banned head scarves in colleges, allowing students to wear limited faith-based symbols alongside prescribed uniforms.
- The 2022 directive prompted protests at the Udupi Government Pre-University College after students were barred from classes, disrupting education for many like Aliya Assadi who pursued open schooling to complete Class 12.
- Restrictions created significant barriers for students like Resham Farooq and Muskan Khan, who faced denial of admission and heckling, turning their individual defiance into a wider symbol of the fight for rights.
- The Congress government had promised this reversal in its 2023 manifesto, though it waited three years to act; The Jamaat-e-Islami Hind welcomed the change, stating that educational institutions must remain spaces where students feel secure and respected.
- Some warn the BJP might leverage the new order during the 2028 elections, even as advocates stress that religious practices must never prevent students from accessing or continuing their education.
13 Articles
13 Articles
ABP News
Asian NewsThe hijab controversy has once again become a major political topic in Karnataka. The political atmosphere heated up after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's statement in which he supported the right to wear religious symbols such as turban, kada, tilak, bhasma, kalava, and headscarf in educational institutions, but excluded the saffron shawl. Clarifying the Karnataka government's position, state minister Priyank Kharge said that the Congress govern…
A Day After Revoking Hijab Ban, Karnataka Congress CM Siddaramaiah Says Saffron Shawls Not Permitted
Karnataka Congress Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday, 14 May 2026, attempted to defend his government’s controversial decision to revoke the Hijab ban in government educational institutions, while simultaneously stating that saffron shawls would not be permitted in schools and colleges, as reported in The New Indian Express. The clarification came a day after the Congress government formally scrapped the 2022 order introduced under the BJP…
Karnataka Hijab row reopens bigger question
The Karnataka government has formally withdrawn the 2022 classroom restrictions introduced under the previous BJP administration, permitting students to wear hijab, janivara (sacred thread), turbans and other religious symbols along with prescribed school uniforms in educational institutions across the state. Announcing the revised guidelines on May 13, Karnataka Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa said no student would be denied entry into clas…
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