Karnataka bans head coverings and gadgets for upcoming recruitment exams

The order doesn't explicitly mention hijab.

The Karnataka Examination Authority (KEA) on November 15 announced a prohibition on the use of head covers and electronic gadgets during the upcoming recruitment exams scheduled for November 18 and 19 in the state.

While the directive did not explicitly mention the hijab, it explicitly stated that wearing "any garment or cap that covers head, mouth, or ears" would be disallowed within the examination hall. Previously, women donning hijabs underwent thorough checks upon arriving at the exam centers.

Additionally, the authority specified that no electronic devices, such as phones and Bluetooth earphones, would be permitted inside the examination hall. However, female candidates were granted permission to wear "mangalsutra" and toe rings during the examination. These measures are implemented to ensure fair and standardized conduct of the recruitment exams across various boards and corporations in Karnataka.

Karnataka Examination Authority bans any kind of head cover during upcoming recruitment exams of various boards and corporations in the state. The authority also bans any kind of electronic gadgets like phones and Bluetooth earphones inside the examination hall.

— ANI (@ANI) November 14, 2023

The previous BJP government in Karnataka had banned students from wearing hijabs to government schools in 2022. The matter was taken to court and the ban was upheld by the Karnataka High Court in March 2022.

It suggested that wearing hijabs can be restricted by the government colleges where uniforms are prescribed. The court also ruled that the “prescription of a school uniform” is a “reasonable restriction” that is “constitutionally permissible”.

Also read: Karnataka verdict a secular disaster

The order was challenged in the Supreme Court, which delivered a split verdict in October 2022. A two-judge bench said that the matter will be placed before the Chief Justice of India for his directions. However, the top court has not yet formed a bench to hear the matter.

After the Congress government came to power in May 2023, Karnataka Information Technology and Biotechnology Minister Priyank Kharge said the orders enforced under the previous BJP regime such as school textbook revision and anti-conversion laws, which are against the state's interest, would be revised or withdrawn by the new Congress government after reviewing them.

The hijab row erupted in January 2022 when the Government PU College in Udupi allegedly barred six girls wearing the hijab from entering.

Meanwhile, former J&K CM Omar Abdullah told ANI, "It is a matter of disappointment. Why would the government intervene in wearing what and what not? Specific orders are released that target Muslims. When it used to happen in Karnataka earlier, it didn't surprise us since it was the BJP government in rule at that time. It's disappointing that such orders are being released in Congress rule...”

He urged senior Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi to rethink the order.