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K’taka HC upholds ban on hijab in schools & colleges, dismisses all petitions

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The Karnataka High Court’s special bench on Tuesday dismissed all petitions seeking direction for permission to wear hijab in classrooms.

The HC also stated that “wearing of hijab is not an essential part of Islam. Prescription of uniform is constitutional and students can’t object to it.” Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi read the judgement.

“We are of the considered opinion that wearing a hijab by Muslim women does not form any essential form of practice in Islamic faith. The prescription of school uniforms is only a reasonable restriction and are constitutionally permissible which the students cannot object,” the bench said.

“In view of the above we are of the considered opinion that the government has power to issue the government order dated February 5, 2022 (restricting hijab in classrooms) and no case is made for its invalidation,” the bench noted.

The bench further observed, “We are of the considered opinion that no case is made out for issuance of direction of disciplinary action and warrants against the respondents. Therefore, the petition in this regard is rejected as not maintainable.

“Accordingly in above circumstances all these petitions are devoid of merits and liable to be dismissed, and all the pending applications are not maintainable and disposed of,” the bench underlined.

The bench after commencing the session said that keeping the holistic view of the entire matter, it has formulated a few questions and they have answered them.

“The questions which are formulated are whether wearing of hijab, headscarves is a part of essential religious practice in Islamic faith protected under Article 25 of the constitution?

“The second question is whether restriction of school uniforms is not legally permissible and being violative of petitions fundamental rights guaranteed under Article 19 (1) (a) freedom of expression and privacy?

“The third question whether government order dated February 5, 2022 apart from being incompetent is being issued without application of mind and further it is manifestedly arbitrary and therefore violates the Articles 13, 14 of the constitution?

“Whether any case is made out in the petition of issuance of direction initiating disciplinary enquiry and warrants against respondents? The special bench said.

As a precautionary measure security was beefed up across the state. Holiday was declared in the districts of Dakshina Kannada, Kalaburagi and Shivamogga for schools and colleges.

Most of the districts imposed prohibitory orders in the surrounding areas of educational institutions. The Bengaluru Police Commissioner Kamal Pant issued prohibitory orders restricting protests, celebrations and gatherings in the entire city for seven days from March 15.

The hijab row, which started as a protest by six students of the Udupi Pre-University Girl’s College, turned into a big crisis.

The bench headed by the Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi, Justice Krishna S. Dixit and Justice Jaiunnesa Mohiyuddin Khaji heard the matter on a daily basis.

The counsels appearing for the petitioners contended that restriction on hijab to classrooms is a violation of fundamental rights and religious rights. There is no legal standing for the School Development Committee (SDC) or College Development Committee (CDMC), they said.

They also argued that wearing of hijab is an integral part of Islam. However, the Advocate General and other counsels appearing for the government argued that wearing of hijab is not an essential part of Islam. They have also stated that the government respects the wearing of hijab and it had been left to the discretion of SDMC and SDCs. It was also brought to the notice of the court that many Islamic and European countries have banned hijab.

Crime

Delhi Assembly, Sardar Patel Vidyalaya, several govt offices receive bomb threats; checking on

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New Delhi, Sep 8: The Delhi Assembly, Sardar Patel Vidyalaya (SPV) and several government establishments in the national capital received bomb threats through email on Tuesday, officials said, prompting security agencies to immediately activate standard operating procedures and launch extensive checks at the affected locations.

The threats were reported during the morning hours, following which security agencies and emergency response teams were rushed to the locations as a precautionary measure. Officials said the areas were secured and detailed anti-sabotage checks were initiated to rule out any possible security threat.

Teams from the Delhi Police, bomb detection and disposal squads, dog units, and the Delhi Fire Services reached the locations and cordoned off the concerned areas as part of the standard security protocol followed after receipt of a bomb threat.

So far, nothing suspicious has been found at any of the locations searched by the security teams, officials said. The premises are being checked thoroughly, and authorities are continuing to monitor the situation as part of the precautionary arrangements.

Further investigation into the email and the source of the threat is underway.

The latest threat has come amid existing security concerns surrounding the Delhi Assembly, which has received similar bomb threats in the past.

Earlier, on August 14, multiple locations in Delhi, including the Delhi High Court, had received bomb threats, prompting heightened security arrangements in the national capital ahead of Independence Day.

The Delhi High Court had received the threat through email, with the message warning of an alleged blast at the court at 2.11 p.m. on August 15. The email was titled ‘BOMB Blast Delhi High Court @ 2:11PM’ and specifically mentioned the timing of the purported explosion.

The same email had also threatened explosions at district courts in Delhi at 3:11 p.m. on August 15, adding to security concerns in the national capital ahead of the Independence Day celebrations.

In addition to the High Court, five other locations had received bomb threats through phone calls. These included Jamnagar House, Jhandewalan Building, the MB Road Saket office, Terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, and the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) office in Delhi Cantonment.

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Crime

Inter-state transformer theft gang busted in Pune, three arrested

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Pune, Sep 8: Pune Crime Branch has busted an inter-state gang involved in stealing transformers and copper wires from them in and around the city, arresting three accused and recovering stolen property worth Rs 12.73 lakh, officials said on Tuesday.

According to police, the Unit 7 team was conducting patrols when Constable Vinayak Salve received confidential information that some people involved in transformer thefts would arrive in the Wadegaon area of Haveli taluka.

Acting on the information, Police Inspector Wahid Pathan directed PSI Rahul Kolpe to verify the information and initiate legal action. A trap was subsequently laid at Wadegaon, where police intercepted a goods tempo bearing registration number MH-12-GT-6675 on Sunday.

Three men travelling in the vehicle were detained and questioned. They were identified as Mohammed Sahebjaan Mangrekhan, 30, Adarsh Chandraprakash Pandey, 22, and Chandrasen Shivratan Dharia, 28. Police said all three are originally from Uttar Pradesh and were residing in Pune district.

During questioning, the accused confessed to stealing copper wires from eight transformers over the past five to six months. The thefts reportedly took place in Wadegaon, Ashtapur, Sangvi Sandas, Nhavi Sandas, and Hingangaon areas under the jurisdiction of Lonikand Police Station.

Police said the arrests helped solve eight cases registered at Lonikand Police Station under Section 324(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 136 of the Indian Electricity Act.

The three accused were arrested, and further investigation is underway to determine whether other people were involved in the gang and identify where the stolen copper material was being sold.

Earlier, on May 27, Pimpri-Chinchwad Police had arrested three members of a gang involved in 48 cases of electricity transformer theft across Pune district.

Chakan North police had cracked the case while investigating the theft of copper wires from a transformer installed at Nexus Healthcare in Biradwadi village, Khed taluka. The theft reportedly took place between May 15 and 16.

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Crime

Assam: Vigilance Cell searches senior official’s residence over alleged disproportionate assets

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Guwahati, Sep 7: A nine-member team of Assam Chief Minister’s Vigilance Cell on Monday conducted a search at the official residence of Dhemaji District Development Commissioner (DDC) and senior Assam Civil Service (ACS) officer, Debeswar Bora, in connection with an ongoing probe into alleged irregularities and suspected possession of assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.

The vigilance team arrived in Dhemaji from Guwahati in two vehicles and carried out the search at Bora’s government accommodation.

The officer was also questioned by the investigators during the operation.

Officials have so far not disclosed details of the case or specified the documents, assets or other materials examined during the search.

According to preliminary information, the Vigilance Cell initiated the case following a complaint filed by a doctor.

The allegations reportedly relate to Bora’s tenure as Joint Secretary in the Medical Education and Research Department under the state Health Department.

The complaint is understood to have led to a preliminary enquiry into alleged irregularities during his earlier posting.

During the course of the enquiry, certain properties and assets allegedly linked to the senior officer came under the scrutiny of the Vigilance Cell.

Sources said properties located in Guwahati and Lakhimpur are among those being examined as part of the probe.

Investigators are also reportedly looking into the ownership of some of the properties, which are allegedly registered in the names of Bora’s wife and other family members.

The probe is expected to examine the sources of funds used for acquiring the properties and whether they correspond with the known income of the officer and his family.

The search at the DDC’s official residence is part of the ongoing investigation and is expected to help the Vigilance Cell gather documents and other material relevant to the allegations.

The Vigilance Cell has not yet issued an official statement on the case or disclosed the findings of Monday’s search. Further details are awaited as the investigation progresses. The allegations remain subject to verification and due legal process.

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