Breaking: Split verdict by Supreme Court in Karnataka hijab ban case; matter to be placed before CJI

The Supreme Court delivered a split verdict today, October 12 on a batch of petitions challenging the Karnataka High Court judgement upholding the ban on hijab in educational institutions of the state.

A bench of Justices Hemant Gupta and Sudhanshu Dhulia delivered a split verdict on a batch of appeals against the Karnataka HC judgment, as per a tweet by LiveLaw. Justice Hemant Gupta's verdict upholds the hijab ban verdict of Karnataka HC, the tweet said.

Justice Sudhanshshu Dhulia, on the other hand, allowed all the appeals and set aside the judgment of the Karnataka HC. “The main thrust of my judgment is the entire concept of essential religious practice was not essential to the dispute. The High Court took a wrong path. It is ultimately a matter of choice and Article 14 and 19," as stated in a tweet by LiveLaw.in.

"It is a matter of choice, nothing more and nothing less. The foremost question in my mind was the education of the girl child. Are we making her life any better? That was a question in my mind,” as per a tweet by LiveLaw. He quashed the Government Order of February 5 and ordered the removal of the restrictions, as per LiveLaw.

In light of the divergence of opinion, the matter has to be placed before the Chief Justice of India to form a larger bench, as per LiveLaw.