National News
Asking girls to take off hijab invasion of privacy, attack on dignity: Justice Dhulia
Supreme Court judge Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia, in the split verdict on Karnataka hijab ban, on Thursday said by asking girls to take off their hijab before they enter school gates is an invasion of privacy, attack on dignity, and denial of secular education.
He said this is the time when children should learn not to be alarmed by our diversity but to rejoice and celebrate this, and also this is the time when they must realise that diversity is our strength.
Justice Dhulia said: “By asking the girls to take off their hijab before they enter the school gates, is first an invasion of their privacy, then it is an attack on their dignity, and then ultimately it is a denial to them of secular education. These are clearly violative of Article 19(1)(a), Article 21 and Article 25(1) of the Constitution”.
The judgment was delivered by a bench comprising Justices Hemant Gupta and Dhulia. While Justice Gupta dismissed the appeals challenging the Karnataka High Court judgment, Justice Dhulia set aside the high court judgment and quashed the Karnataka government order dated February 5.
The petitioners had moved the apex court, challenging the Karnataka High Court verdict refusing to lift the ban on hijab in educational institutions of the state.
Justice Dhulia said there shall be no restriction on the wearing of hijab anywhere in schools and colleges in Karnataka. He added that the unfortunate fallout of the hijab restriction would be that they would have denied education to a girl child.
“A girl child for whom it is still not easy to reach her school gate. This case here, therefore, has also to be seen in the perspective of the challenges already faced by a girl child in reaching her school. The question this court would put before itself is also whether we are making the life of a girl child any better by denying her education merely because she wears a hijab!” he said.
He added that the constitutional scheme, wearing a hijab should be simply a matter of choice and it may or may not be a matter of essential religious practice, but it still is, a matter of conscience, belief, and expression.
Justice Dhulia said if a girl wants to wear hijab, even inside her class room, she cannot be stopped, if it is worn as a matter of her choice, as it may be the only way her conservative family will permit her to go to school, and in those cases, her hijab is her ticket to education.
In a 73-page judgment, he said, “fraternity, which is our constitutional value, would therefore require us to be tolerant, and as some of the counsel would argue to be, reasonably accommodating, towards the belief and religious practices of others. We should remember the appeal made by Justice O. Chinnappa Reddy in Bijoe Emmanuel — our tradition teaches tolerance; our philosophy preaches tolerance; our Constitution practices tolerance; let us not dilute it.”
He emphasised that the Government Order dated 5 February, 2022, and the restrictions on the wearing of hijab, also goes against constitutional values of fraternity and human dignity.
Justice Dhulia said: “Liberty, equality, fraternity, the triptych of the French Revolution is also a part of our Preamble. It is true that whereas liberty and equality are well established, properly understood, and recognised concepts in politics and law, fraternity for some reasons has largely remained incognito. The framers of our Constitution though had a different vision. Fraternity had a different, and in many ways a much larger meaning with the main architect of our Constitution, Dr Ambedkar”.
He added that schools, in particular our pre-university colleges are the perfect institutions where children, who are now at an impressionable age, and are just waking up to the rich diversity of this nation, need to be counselled and guided, so that they imbibe our constitutional values of tolerance and accommodation, towards those who may speak a different language, eat different food, or even wear different clothes or apparel!
“This is the time to foster in them sensitivity, empathy and understanding towards different religions, languages and cultures. This is the time when they should learn not to be alarmed by our diversity but to rejoice and celebrate this diversity. This is the time when they must realise that in diversity is our strength,” he said.
National News
Assam flood: Door-to-door damage assessment from August 9

Guwahati, Aug 4: Assam Chief Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, on Tuesday assured flood-affected families of comprehensive government support, announcing that officials will undertake a door-to-door assessment of damaged households from August 9 to ensure that relief and rehabilitation benefits reach every eligible beneficiary.
Addressing inmates at a relief camp in Sivasagar district, one of the worst-affected areas in this year’s floods, Sarma said the state government is committed to standing by every affected family until normalcy is restored.
“We are taking feedback from every affected family to see if they have received relief and help. Starting from August 9, our teams will reach every home of the affected families to conduct a ground assessment of the damage,” the Chief Minister said.
He said the survey aims to verify the extent of losses suffered by families and ensure that rehabilitation assistance is provided in a transparent and timely manner.
“I want to assure every flood-affected family in Assam that in this difficult time, the government stands with them at every step. From rehabilitation to restoring life to normalcy, every possible assistance will be provided. Today, in a relief camp in Sivasagar, I reiterated this very resolve,” Sarma added.
The Chief Minister interacted with families staying at the relief camp and reviewed the availability of food, drinking water, healthcare and other essential services.
He also took stock of the ongoing relief operations and rehabilitation measures being carried out by the district administration.
Sivasagar has emerged as the worst-hit district in terms of fatalities during this year’s floods, prompting the state government to intensify relief and rehabilitation efforts in the region.
The Assam government has already initiated restoration of damaged infrastructure, distribution of relief materials and assessment of losses in several flood-affected districts.
Officials said the proposed household survey from August 9 will help prepare a comprehensive database of damages, enabling the administration to expedite compensation, rehabilitation and other forms of assistance for affected families.
National News
Assam CM backs Jharkhand students’ protest over recruitment exam irregularities

Guwahati, Aug 4: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday voiced support for students protesting in Jharkhand over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations, accusing the ruling JMM-Congress-RJD alliance of failing to address their grievances in a transparent and timely manner.
In a post on social media platform X, CM Sarma said he had witnessed the concerns of recruitment aspirants firsthand during the Jharkhand Assembly election campaign and asserted that their demands deserved a fair hearing.
“During the Jharkhand Assembly elections, I had the opportunity to closely witness the pain, anger and concerns of JSSC-CGL aspirants regarding the recruitment process,” the Chief Minister said.
CM Sarma maintained that the prevailing unrest could have been prevented had the Jharkhand government acted promptly on the complaints raised by the candidates.
According to him, a sensitive and transparent response from the state administration would have helped restore confidence among aspirants.
He further alleged that repeated allegations of examination irregularities and question paper leaks had created uncertainty over the future of a large number of young job seekers in the state.
“Unfortunately, allegations of irregularities and paper leaks have continued to mount, and today the future of lakhs of youth is in crisis,” CM Sarma said.
Extending what he termed his “moral support” to the agitating students, the Assam Chief Minister urged the Jharkhand government to accept their legitimate demands and ensure justice.
“I express my moral support for this just movement of Jharkhand’s students and youth and urge the state government to immediately accept the legitimate demands of the students and deliver justice to them. Injustice with the future of the youth cannot be acceptable at any cost,” he added.
CM Sarma’s remarks come amid continuing protests in Ranchi, where students have been demonstrating against alleged irregularities in examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC).
The protesters have demanded the cancellation of the 14th JPSC Combined Preliminary Examination held on April 19 and sought an independent probe by central agencies, including the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), into the alleged irregularities in the state’s recruitment process.
National News
BJP accuses Opposition of paralysing Parliament, alleges ‘selective outrage’ on paper leaks

New Delhi, Aug 4: The BJP on Tuesday accused the opposition of repeatedly disrupting Parliament proceedings and preventing the House from functioning during the ongoing Monsoon Session.
The remarks came amid continued disruptions in the Monsoon Session over the NEET paper leak controversy and the police action against protesters at Jantar Mantar on July 20. Opposition parties have been demanding a response from the Union Home Minister over the alleged “firing” on the protesters.
Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi, party national spokesperson and MP Sambit Patra alleged that the Congress and its allies were deliberately obstructing parliamentary business, depriving elected representatives of the opportunity to raise public issues and discuss important legislation.
“The way the 2026 Monsoon Session of Parliament is being conducted and how the Congress party, along with some of its allies, has been disrupting the proceedings. Crores of rupees are spent on every Parliament session. MPs come to Parliament with questions and issues from their constituencies, expecting the concerned ministries to respond so that development work can move forward. However, since the session began, the Question Hour has not been allowed to function, disruptions have repeatedly affected the Zero Hour, and hardly any Bills have been taken up for discussion,” Patra said.
Referring to recent protests by students in Karnataka over the paper leak and irregularities in police constable recruitment, Patra accused the Congress of adopting double standards while responding to students’ concerns in states governed by the party.
“The media asked Priyank Kharge, son of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Karnataka Home Minister, if he would take responsibility, as the state Home Minister. Kharge arrogantly said, ‘First let the students go on a 25-day hunger strike, then we’ll lathi-charge them, and then we’ll worry about our resignations’. Rahul Gandhi remained silent on this statement, and I can confidently say that even today he will not allow the House to function. This shows the Congress’s double standards,” the BJP MP said.
Patra further alleged that while Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge spoke extensively in the Rajya Sabha on issues concerning students, the party leadership had remained silent over the remarks attributed to Priyank Kharge.
“Mallikarjun Kharge stands up in the Rajya Sabha and speaks for hours. It’s good that at least there was a discussion, but when his son makes an insensitive and inhuman statement on the same issue in Karnataka, Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge remain silent,” he said.
The BJP spokesperson also claimed that Congress had ignored similar protests in Jharkhand, where thousands of students were demonstrating over examination-related issues.
“They are still silent on the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) exam irregularities and are not responding to it. Congress MLAs are avoiding raising the issue in the House. Not even a single placard was seen in Congress hands regarding the Jharkhand JPSC exam, as this is selective outrage and the Congress party wants political gains from this issue,” he said.
Patra also criticised the Opposition for “blocking” discussion on key legislative business during the session, including the Births and Deaths Registration (Amendment) Bill, 2026.
“The Births and Deaths Registration (Amendment) Bill 2026 asks how many days should births and deaths be registered, and what the consequences will be if they are not. Births and deaths are continuous processes that continue across the country and the world. Congress and its allies prevented discussion on how citizens can exercise their rights and what the new law contains,” he said.
Highlighting another pending piece of legislation, the BJP MP said Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had introduced the Bankers’ Book Evidence Bill, 2026, on Monday. Still, Parliament could not deliberate on it because of repeated disruptions.
“It’s a huge bill because everyone is concerned with banking, but the people of India who are concerned with banking don’t get to hear any discussion about the Bankers’ Book Evidence Bill 2026 because of the chaos in the House,” he added.
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