Candidates appearing for recruitment exams conducted by the Karnataka Examinations Authority can wear the hijab, The Times of India quoted state Higher Education Minister MC Sudhakar as saying.
What did the minister say? The minister said that by not permitting candidates to wear the hijab, the government would be "infringing on the rights of people. Even in NEET, candidates are allowed to wear hijab."
"This is a secular country. People are free to dress however they want," he said, according to India Today.
Why is this important? On 5 February 2022, the previous BJP-led Karnataka government issued an order banning the hijab in government educational institutions, saying that "clothes which disturb equality, integrity and public law and order should not be worn."
A month later, the Karnataka High Court upheld the state government's ban on the hijab.