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The Karnataka government issued a circular on February 16 stating that the high court proposal of no religious garments in educational institutions is applicable to all minority institutions run under the state government.

Secretary for Minority Welfare, Haj and Wakf Department Major P Manivannan in a notification issued, said that the interim order of the full bench of the Karnataka High Court also applies to residential schools run under the Minority Welfare Department and Moulana Azad Model Schools (English medium).

The order effectively bans the use of hijab in minority institutions as the uniform for students in some minority institutions is hijab itself. According to the government order, students can come to campus wearing hijab but cannot attend classes.

On the eve of the Budget session of Kerala Assembly, Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Thursday gave the CPI(M)-led state government tense moments when he refused to give consent for his opening address to the House, upset over a dissent note that was issued along with the recent appointment of a BJP leader as his additional personal assistant.

A constitutional crisis was finally averted when the Governor gave his consent to the address after the government moved out senior IAS officer and Principal Secretary to General Administration Department K R Jyothilal, who had issued the dissent letter.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday said that while dealing with the validity of a tough law such as the prevention of money laundering act (PMLA), it cannot be oblivious to the potential misuse by states who deny investigation into cases by refusing consent to Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Hearing a batch of petitions, which have challenged the wide scope of powers available to the directorate of enforcement (ED) for search, seizure, investigation and attachment of proceeds of crime under the law, a three-judge bench headed by justice AM Khanwilkar said that the purpose of enacting a law such as PMLA will be defeated if a “rigid formula” is applied to deal with such crimes.

PM Modi accused the Congress governments of the past of letting go three opportunities to keep the holy Sikh shrine of Gurdwara Kartapur Sahib in India, which is now in Pakistan and barely 5km from the Punjab border. Speaking at an election rally close to the India-Pakistan border on Wednesday, he called Congress and AAP chips off the old block — “One looted Punjab, while the other is involved in scam after scam in Delhi”.

He said the Congress leadership of 1947 didn’t consider keeping Kartapur Sahib with India and during the 1965 India-Pakistan conflict, when the Indian Army was advancing towards Lahore, it could have included Kartapur Sahib by moving a few steps ahead. Then again during the 1971 war, India could have demanded Kartapur Sahib in exchange for 90,000 Pakistan PoWs.

The hijab ban is hostile discrimination against Muslim girls based purely on their religion and is a draconian decision opposed to the intent of Article 15 of the Constitution, senior advocate Prof Ravivarma Kumar submitted on Wednesday.

Appearing for a student of an Udupi college before a full bench of the Karnataka high court headed by Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi, Kumar argued that when wearing of other religious symbols, like bangles, bindi and crucifix pendants, among others, is being allowed, why is only the hijab being disallowed. Article 15 of the Constitution forbids discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex, or place of birth.

Kumar pointed out that in Indian society, many college-going girls wear a dupatta or something else to cover their heads, whether they are Hindu, Muslim, Christian, or of any other religion.