Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan on Tuesday welcomed the Karnataka High Court's order which dismissed all petitions seeking direction for permission to wear hijab in classrooms.
Khan had supported the ban on hijab issued by educational institutions in Karnataka which led to the legal fight.
Responding to the court order, the governor said, "we should welcome it and help these young girls to do much better for themselves, society and the country at large.
However, he said there should not be any euphoria about the verdict.
"I wish them (pro-hijab Muslim girls) all the best in building India and in looking after their family," he said.
Indian Union Mulsim League leader M C Maeen Haji, meanwhile, termed the court order disappointing. He said wearing hijab was the right of the Muslim girls.
Last month, Khan had termed the hijab row as a “conspiracy” and said it was not a question of choice but whether a person would follow the regulations, dress code of an institution or not.
Noting that Muslim girls are doing “so well” everywhere and so they need encouragement, Khan also said they do not need to be pushed down.
The Karnataka HC on Tuesday stated that "wearing of hijab is not an essential part of Islam. Prescription of uniform is constitutional and students can't object to it." Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi read the judgement.
The case came up before the high court after the hijab row, which started as a protest by six students of the Udupi Pre-University Girl's College, turned into a big crisis.
The bench headed by the Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi, Justice Krishna S Dixit and Justice Jaiunnesa Mohiyuddin Khaji heard the matter on a daily basis.
The counsels appearing for the petitioners had contended that restriction on hijab to classrooms is a violation of fundamental rights and religious rights.
