Purdah or burkha may not be an essential religious practice but headscarf is, it was contended before the High Court of Karnataka on Thursday on behalf of two Muslim girl students from the Government PU College at Kundapur in Udupi district.
“…the Kerala High Court and the Madras High Court, after going through the Islamic verses and scriptures, came to a conclusion that purdah or burkha may not be an essential religious practice but a headscarf is,” argued Senior Advocate Devadatt Kamat, representing the petitioner-girls.
He made these submissions before a three-judge Bench, comprising of Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi, Justice Krishna S. Dixit, and Justice Jaibunnisa M. Khazi, while replying to the arguments made on behalf of the State Government that hijab is “not an essential religious practice”.
