Congress-led government in Karnataka has officially withdrawn the controversial February 5, 2022 order issued by the previous BJP government that had enabled educational institutions to restrict hijab and other religious symbols in classrooms.
Under a new order issued on May 13, 2026, students in government, aided, and private educational institutions under the School Education Department will now be allowed to wear “limited traditional and practice-based symbols” along with prescribed uniforms. These include hijab, sacred thread, rudraksha, shivadhara, and sharavastra.
The government clarified that school and college uniforms will remain compulsory, but religious and customary symbols may be worn as supplementary items provided they do not affect discipline, safety, cleanliness, or student identification. The order also states that no student can be denied entry or compelled either to wear or remove such symbols.
The move comes more than three years after the hijab controversy erupted across Karnataka in early 2022, when several Muslim students were denied entry into classrooms for wearing hijab, leading to widespread protests, legal battles, and national debate over religious freedom and educational rights.