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Amid the ongoing hijab controversy in the state, Karnataka police have registered an FIR against at least 10 girls for violating prohibitory orders issued under Section 144 of CrPC by staging a protest against the hijab rule outside Girls Empress Govt PU College in Tumkur on February 17. The FIR has been lodged under Sections 143, 145, 188 and 149 of the Indian penal code.
The move comes after the Union Minister Pralhad Joshi on Friday urged the Karnataka government to arrest those people who violate the court's interim order "whether it is Kesari or Hijab." The Union Minister said, "put those behind bars who try to violate court interim order- whether it is Kesari or Hijab."
"Some persons with ill-intention not allowing the hijab row to end. Not following the court order is too much and it cannot be tolerated," Joshi added.
"The Bommai government tried to pacify the people initially. Now the time is over. If any outsider is found outside the education creating trouble, will be put behind bars," said the minister.
Reacting to Congress' overnight protest inside the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, demanding the resignation of Karnataka minister KS Eshwarappa over his controversial comment about replacing the national flag with a saffron one, Joshi said, "Staging protest is the only work for the Congress now. Eshwarappa made his stand very clear."
"There are several problems and the Opposition has the opportunity in the Session to give constructive suggestions in this regard. But, they are protesting over a non-issue just for their vote bank politics," he added.
Additionally, the Karnataka government on Friday submitted before the Karnataka High Court that Hijab is not an essential religious practice of the Muslim faith and preventing it does not violate the constitutional guarantee of religious freedom. A bench of the three-judge Bench of Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi and Justices Krishna S Dixit and JM Khazi was hearing the various petitions challenging the ban on Hijab in educational institutes in the state.
Advocate General Prabhuling Navadgi, appearing for the Karnataka government, said that the state has taken the stand that Hijab does not come under the essential religious practice of Islam.
(With inputs from agencies)
