A Muslim hijab-wearing student earned the second rank in the Pre-University (PU) Examinations in Karnataka, a state where girls are restricted from wearing a religious attire to educational institutions.
Ilham, a student of St Aloysius School, Mangalore, secured 597 marks out of 600, in the Science stream and wishes to pursue a career in clinical psychology. Anisha Mallya, from the same college, came second in the commerce stream by securing 595 marks.
"I couldn't believe it when my relatives called to tell me that I had bagged the second rank. I was overjoyed when I saw that I had scored 597 out of 600," Ilham told the Mangalorean.
The student added that she will pursue her higher education at the Yenepoya Deemed to be University.
Hijab In Educational Institutions
Ilham's success comes amidst the ongoing unrest over wearing of a hijab in schools and colleges in Karnataka.
Ilham is a resident of Mangalore where 13 students were denied access to their classes on 30 May, for wearing the headscarf.
Earlier, hundreds of students who insisted on wearing hijabs to the exam were turned away from exam centres during the SSLC exams.
The state had also refrained students, teachers, invigilators, and non-teaching staff from wearing hijabs inside the halls during the PU Examinations.
Speaking on the hijab row, Ilham told the Times of India (TOI), “It was a difficult time. However, my aim was clear and my focus was on studies."
The Court's Verdict
The Karnataka High Court had upheld the ban on 15 March on Muslim girls wearing hijabs with their uniforms in schools and colleges.
The court had dismissed writ petitions submitted by Muslim students seeking permission to wear hijab in colleges, stating that hijab is not an essential religious practice and that there was no compelling cause to overturn the government decree prohibiting it.
"No material is placed before us for evaluation and determination of pleaded conscience of the petitioners. They have not averred anything as to how they associate wearing hijab with their conscience, as an overt act," the court had said while pronouncing its judgement.
(With inputs from ToI and Mangalorean)
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