As a court in southern India upheld the ban on wearing hijabs or headscarves in class in the state of Karanataka, a number of Muslim organizations in India cried foul at the ruling, vowing to challenge it in the Supreme Court.
The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday upheld a ban on hijabs in classrooms, stating that wearing them was not an essential religious practice in Islam.
Late Tuesday afternoon, a student filed a petition with the Supreme Court against the ruling, local news outlet NDTV reported.
Balking at the High Court ruling, Indian Muslim leader and parliamentarian Asaduddin Owaisi said:
"Banning headscarves definitely harms devout Muslim women and their families as it prevents them from accessing education."
"I disagree with Karnataka High Court's judgement on hijab. It’s my right to disagree with the judgement & I hope that petitioners appeal before SC (Supreme Court)," he wrote on Twitter.
Owaisi said he hoped not just his organization, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen, but "organizations of other religious groups appeal this judgment."
‘Denying women their choice'
Haseena Hashia Sahiba, a New Delhi-based member of the umbrella scholar body All India Muslim Personal Law Board, told Anadolu Agency that Muslims are equal citizens of India and that Muslim groups would approach the Supreme Court to challenge the ruling./aa