In Udupi and Shivamogga students refused entry into college for practical exams as they insisted on wearing the hijab

A three-judge bench of the Karnataka High Court completed hearings in the hijab case on February 25 and has reserved its judgment.

Students leave the PU college in Udupi on February 16 after they were not allowed to enter wearing the Hijab.

Three hijab-wearing girls who are also petitioners in the Karnataka High Court in the case relating to the hijab controversy were not allowed entry into the Government Girls Pre-University College in Udupi to attend their practical examinations on February 28. A.H. Almas, one of the girls, tweeted: “Today was our final practical exam! We had completed our record books and went in great hopes to attend the practical exam. It was so disheartening when our principal threatened us saying, ‘You have 5 mins to leave, if you don't leave, I'll file a police complaint’.”

In a second tweet, Almas added, “Right now we should have been in our labs attending the practicals not compelled to leave. The hopes I had from college and my dreams are getting shattered due to the hatred sowed against hijab.”

Speaking to mediapersons in Udupi, the principal of the college, Rudre Gowda, said the accusation was false. “As per the interim order of the High Court, the girls cannot be allowed into the classroom with the hijab and that is all I conveyed to the three girls as well. I also tried to convince them to remove their hijab and come to the classroom as it was highly unlikely that they could retake their practical exams, but they refused to listen to me and preferred to leave the college.”

There was a similar scene in Shivamogga on the same day when 20 girls of D.V.S Pre-University College were not allowed to attend their practical exams because they were wearing the hijab. A three-judge bench of the Karnataka High Court completed hearing the petitioners and respondents in the hijab case on February 25 and has reserved its judgment.