Bengaluru, Feb 5: Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara stated on Wednesday that the government will hold a meeting to decide whether to allow Class 10 students in the state to wear the hijab while attending exams and will convey its stance to the Supreme Court.

When asked whether any discussion had taken place regarding allowing female students wearing hijabs to appear for exams, HM Parameshwara said, “A meeting on this matter has not been held yet, but we will conduct one.”

When asked whether the government could make a decision while the hijab issue is still before the Supreme Court, he responded, “It is not about making a decision despite the case being in the Supreme Court. We need to make our own decisions and also communicate our stance to the court. We must present our opinion based on the current situation, and we will do so.”

The government in Karnataka is treading cautiously in connection with the matter of allowing students to write exams wearing the hijab.

During the tenure of the previous BJP government, the hijab crisis made international news and created a furore in the state.

While answering a question on whether the government will allow female students wearing the hijab to attend exams, Home Minister G. Parameshwara said on Tuesday, “We need to discuss the matter in detail and after discussions we will take a decision in this regard.”

When reminded that there was only one month left for exams, HM Parameshwara stated, “One month is sufficient period to discuss the matter.”

The previous BJP government imposed a ban on the wearing of the hijab along with school and pre-university (class 11 and 12) college female students.

The move was questioned by the students in the High Court and the court had upheld the decision of the government. The matter is presently with the Supreme Court.

The issue had also divided society, especially students, on communal lines across Karnataka.

A two-judge panel in the Supreme Court returned a split decision in October: One judge Hemant Gupta upheld the Karnataka High Court ruling, while the other, Sudhanshu Dhulia found it had ruled in error.

The judges requested the Chief Justice to refer the matter to a larger Bench.

The implementation of dress codes by educational institutes, banning the hijab, was criticised inside India and abroad by officials in countries including the United States and Pakistan.

The ban was defended by politicians such as Arif Mohammad Khan, Aaditya Thackeray and activist Taslima Nasreen.

New Delhi: Veteran Bollywood actor and All India Trinamool Congress MP Shatrughan Sinha demanded a ban on non-veg in India while interacting with media persons outside the Parliament on Tuesday (February 4). He lauded the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in Uttarakhand while also pointing out the complexities of enforcing such a law across the country. However, he was trolled for his statement.

Sinha expressed his support for the UCC but opened up about the regional disparities that could pose challenges in its nationwide application.

“Beef has been banned in many parts of the country. I think that not only beef, but non-vegetarian food in general should be banned in the country. However, in some places, it is still legal to consume beef, including the northeast,” Sinha remarked.

He added a touch of humour to his statement, saying, “Waha khao toh yummy, par humare North India mein khao toh mummy (It is okay to eat it in the northeast, but not in North India).”

Netizens react to Shatrughan Sinha’s statement

Soon after a video of the actor’s statement surfaced, netizens trolled him, asking how is non-veg food related to UCC.

Reacting to his statement, a user wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “UCC is not for food habits… its about marriage and property rights.”

“Non vegetarian food and uniform civil code, what’s he speaking? 😀” read another comment.

Another comment read, “Food has nothing to do with UCC. This is plight of MPs who only spread disinformation all the time.”

“It’s not govts right to tell what people should eat and not , try to fix other bigger issues like like pollution and people littering and shitting in open,” wrote a user.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha election, Sinha won from Asansol (West Bengal) seat. He defeated Bharatiya Janata Party’s Surendrajit Singh Ahluwalia by a margin of 59,564 votes.

On the film front, he was last seen on the big screens in the 2018 movie Yamla Pagla Deewana: Phir Se. He played the role of a judge in the film.

New Delhi, Feb 5: Delhi recorded a voter turnout of 8.10 per cent as of 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday as polling continues across all 70 Assembly constituencies.

Among key constituencies, voter turnout stood at 7 per cent in New Delhi, 7.5 per cent in Jangpura, and 6.2 per cent in Kalkaji as of 9 a.m.

Okhla registered a turnout of 7.90 per cent, Seelampur saw 11.02 per cent voting, Matia Mahal 6.49 per cent, Ballimaran 6.97 per cent, Mustafabad 12.43 per cent, Babarpur 9.36 per cent, and Chandni Chowk saw 4.53 per cent voting.

A district-wise voter turnout recorded by 9:30 a.m. includes Central Delhi at 6.67 per cent, East Delhi at 8.21 per cent, New Delhi at 6.51 per cent, North Delhi at 7.12 per cent, North East Delhi at 10.7 per cent, North West Delhi at 7.66 per cent, Shahdara at 8.92 per cent, South Delhi at 8.43 per cent, South East Delhi at 8.36 per cent, South West Delhi at 9.34 per cent, and West Delhi at 6.76 per cent.

Voting, which began early in the morning, will continue until 6 p.m. With nearly 3,000 polling booths marked as sensitive, authorities have heightened security with the deployment of 220 paramilitary force companies, 35,626 Delhi Police personnel, and 19,000 Home Guards. Drone surveillance and Quick Reaction Teams have been put in place to ensure law and order.

The elections will decide whether the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) retains its dominance, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stages a comeback, or the Congress re-emerges as a strong contender. The results will be declared on February 8.

Campaigning ended on Monday at 6 p.m. after an intense electoral battle. In the 2020 Delhi Assembly elections, the AAP secured a landslide victory with 62 out of 70 seats, BJP won eight, while the Congress failed to win a single seat for the second consecutive time.

As voting progresses, all eyes are on the final turnout and the electoral outcome.