AIMPLB urges Karnataka govt to withdraw its hijab ban
New Delhi (PTI): As the Supreme Court delivered a split verdict on the hijab ban in Karnataka's educational institutions, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board on Thursday urged the BJP government in the state to withdraw its order on the headscarf.
The Supreme Court on Thursday delivered a split verdict on the hijab ban in Karnataka's educational institutions, with one judge holding permitting a community to wear its religious symbols will be an "antithesis to secularism" and the other insisting that wearing the Muslim headscarf should be simply a "matter of choice".
While Justice Hemant Gupta dismissed the appeals challenging the March 15 judgement of the Karnataka High Court which had refused to lift the ban, Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia held there shall be no restriction on the wearing of hijab anywhere in the schools and colleges of the state.
In a statement, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board's General Secretary Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani said that Justice Dhulia's judgment is in line with the Constitution of India and the ideals of individual freedom.
Justice Dhulia has focused on promoting girls' education and removing barriers to their education, an aspect that is certainly welcomed and is "missing from Justice Hemant Gupta's judgment", Rahmani claimed.
The Karnataka government is requested to withdraw its order regarding the hijab, he said.
"If the Government of Karnataka withdraws the order in question, the whole controversy will automatically come to rest," Rahmani said.
The government should note that women's education in India, particularly among the Muslim community, is already receiving inadequate attention, he said.
The government should not support any measure that creates obstacles in women's education and rather, it must support a "harmless practice, evidently significant to these young girls, and abstaining from it puts these girls in an uncomfortable situation," Rahmani said.
Noting that the matter will now be referred to a larger bench of the Supreme Court due to the divided opinion of the two judges, he said the board supported the "pro-hijab" side when the matter was before the Karnataka High Court and when the matter reached the Supreme Court, the board itself became a party to the matter and presented its opinions, positions, and arguments with full strength.
"The Board will continue to play its part in the fight of these young girls to carry on with hijab with full strength and willingness," Rahmani said.
With the apex court delivering a split verdict, the high court's judgement still holds the field. However, the split verdict held off a permanent resolution of the vexed row over hijab as both judges suggested placing the matter before a larger bench for adjudication.
On March 15, the Karnataka High Court had dismissed the petitions filed by a section of Muslim students of the Government Pre-University Girls College in Karnataka's Udupi seeking permission to wear the hijab inside classrooms, ruling it is not a part of the essential religious practice in Islamic faith.
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Steel mirrors deployed in Mysuru to discourage public urination
Mysuru (PTI): Fed up with people relieving themselves along roadsides, the Mysuru City Corporation has adopted a unique strategy to curb the practice and promote civic sense by installing reflective steel mirrors along pavements, officials said on Friday.
In what officials described as a first-of-its-kind initiative, the Corporation installed stainless steel sheets with a mirror finish along an 80-metre stretch opposite the Mysuru Suburban Bus Stand.
Officials said the reflective sheets are intended to confront anyone attempting to urinate in public with their own reflection, thereby discouraging the act psychologically.
“The idea is to maintain cleanliness and hygiene, prevent public nuisance, and promote civic sense. It is a simple yet psychological approach that encourages self-awareness through reflection,” officials added.
Soon after the mirrors were installed, videos of the initiative went viral on social media, with many people appreciating the administration’s innovative attempt to address public urination. At the same time, some users pointed out the lack of basic civic sense among people.
Several social media users also suggested that more public toilets, maintained in a hygienic condition, were needed to further discourage open urination.
Explaining how the idea originated, Nitesh Patil, Administrator and Regional Commissioner of the Mysuru City Corporation, told PTI that despite a public toilet being located next to the bus stand, many people continued to urinate in the open.
Even fines and warnings failed to deter them from relieving themselves against vacant compound walls, leaving behind a foul smell.
“One of our engineers came up with this idea, and we decided to implement it. The initiative has received a very positive response from the public, social media, and the press. We are now planning to identify more such locations in the city and install similar reflectors,” he said.
According to him, to ensure that the installation is both effective and visually appealing, LED lighting that switches on along with the streetlights has also been added, causing the stretch to glow at night and enhancing the city’s appearance.
Patil said the initiative had helped create civic awareness while also beautifying the city.
“We want our city to be clean and hygienic. We aspire to become the cleanest city in the country,” he added, recalling that Mysuru secured third place nationally in the Swachh Survekshan Awards 2024–25 last year.
