Karnataka Government Withdraws 2022 Hijab Ban Order, Allows Religious Symbols in Schools and Colleges
Karnataka withdraws 2022 hijab ban order, allowing students in schools and PU colleges to wear limited religious symbols including hijab, turban, Janivara, and Rudraksha with uniforms.
Verdicto News Desk 
Bengaluru, May 14: The Karnataka Government on Wednesday withdrew its controversial February 2022 order that had banned the wearing of hijab and other religious symbols in aided and private schools and pre-university colleges across the state.
The Department of School Education and Literacy issued a fresh circular with immediate effect, permitting students to wear limited traditional and faith-based symbols along with the prescribed uniform. The permitted symbols include the hijab, turban (Pete), sacred thread (Janivara), Shivadara, Rudraksha, and other similar items.
The original Government Order dated February 5, 2022 had mandated strict enforcement of uniforms in government, aided and private educational institutions, effectively prohibiting students from wearing religious attire such as the hijab inside classrooms. The move had triggered nationwide protests and prolonged legal battles.
In March 2022, the Karnataka High Court had upheld the ban, ruling that wearing the hijab was not an essential religious practice in Islam and therefore not protected under Article 25 of the Constitution. Subsequently, a two-judge bench of the Supreme Court delivered a split verdict on petitions challenging the order, leading to the matter being referred to a larger bench. The reference remains pending.
The latest government order cites constitutional principles of secularism and equal respect for all faiths as reasons behind the withdrawal. The preamble states that secularism does not mean opposition to personal beliefs, but rather ensuring institutional impartiality and non-discriminatory conduct.
Referring to provisions under the Karnataka Education Act, 1983 and the Karnataka Education Institutions Rules, 1995, the government clarified that limited traditional and religious symbols would be allowed as long as they do not affect discipline, safety, or student identification.
The move also comes amid ongoing legal scrutiny over allegations that some students wearing sacred threads were barred from appearing in the Karnataka Common Entrance Test (CET) 2025. The Karnataka High Court had recently issued notice to the state government in connection with the matter.
The government maintained that institutional discipline and orderliness can be preserved without imposing a blanket prohibition on traditional and practice-based symbols commonly worn by students.
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