Karnataka govt withdraws hijab ban, introduces revised dress code in schools and colleges

Mangalore Today News Network

Bengaluru, May 14, 2026: The Karnataka government has withdrawn the 2022 order banning hijab in educational institutions and introduced a revised dress code policy allowing students to wear religious and traditional symbols along with prescribed uniforms.

The new order, issued by the Siddaramaiah-led government on Wednesday, will apply to students from Classes 1 to 12 and come into effect from the current academic year.

Under the revised guidelines, students will be permitted to wear limited traditional and faith-based symbols that complement the school or college uniform. The order specifically allows the use of hijab (headscarf), turban, janivara or sacred thread, shivadara and rudraksha, provided they do not affect discipline or disrupt the teaching process.

The government stated that the revised policy aims to maintain harmony between religious freedom and the educational environment.

The hijab row had first surfaced in 2022 at a college in Udupi before spreading to other parts of the state. The then BJP government had imposed a ban on wearing hijab in schools and colleges, a decision that later became the subject of legal challenges in the Karnataka High Court and the Supreme Court.

With the latest move, the Congress government has officially revoked the earlier order and replaced it with a more flexible dress code framework accommodating traditional and religious practices.