In a major policy reversal, the Karnataka government has withdrawn the February 5, 2022 uniform order issued during the previous BJP regime, reopening the space for students to wear limited traditional and faith-based symbols in schools and pre-university colleges.
The fresh order, issued on May 13, 2026, came into effect immediately. It allows students to wear items such as hijab, turban, sacred thread or janivara, rudraksha, shivadhara and sharavastra along with prescribed uniforms, provided these do not affect discipline, safety or student identification. The order applies to government, aided and private educational institutions, including pre-university colleges.
The government has clarified that uniforms will remain compulsory. However, no student can be denied entry into classrooms, examination halls or academic activities merely for wearing permitted traditional or faith-based symbols with the uniform.
This means the state has not removed uniforms. Instead, it has drawn a new line: uniforms first, limited religious or customary symbols allowed alongside them.
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What Has Changed?
Earlier Position
The previous orde asked students to strictly follow prescribed uniforms in institutions where uniforms were mandated. In practice, this led to restrictions on hijabs in many schools and colleges.
New Position
The Congress-led Siddaramaiah government has now withdrawn that order and allowed limited faith-based and traditional symbols with uniforms.
Why This Order Matters?
For many families, this is not just a legal or political decision. It is about whether a child feels comfortable entering a classroom without being forced to choose between education and identity.
A Muslim girl wearing a hijab, a Hindu boy wearing janivara, a Sikh student wearing a turban, or a student wearing rudraksha may now continue education without being stopped at the gate, as long as the school uniform is followed.
That is why the issue has strong emotional weight in Karnataka. The classroom is not just a place of textbooks. It is where young people learn how India’s diversity works in real life.
For students from smaller towns and conservative families, dress-related restrictions can sometimes become a reason for dropout, hesitation or social pressure. The government’s argument is that education should not be disrupted because of limited religious or customary symbols.
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Public Reactions:
Minister Madhu Bangarappa says, "All I have told, it is very clearly said that you don't have to ask only about hijab. You have to be very careful when you ask a question for especially education institution because we accept our constitution allows all religion here."
BJP Spokesperson S. Prakash, in an interview with IANS says, "See hijab issue was in high court which upheld the uniform policy of the state government then. Then subsequently muslim organization went to supreme court challenging the judgment. The issue is pending before them. Even before it is resolved, just to placate the muslims aftermath of Davangere by-poll election, this decision has been taken in haste. This will clearly debate student fraternrity across the state on religious lines."
Why It Matters for Karnataka?
Karnataka was the epicentre of the hijab controversy in 2022. What began in Udupi colleges later spread across the state, leading to protests, counter-protests, court cases and nationwide political debate. The Karnataka High Court upheld the restrictions in March 2022, ruling that hijab was not an essential religious practice in the context of school uniforms. The matter later reached the Supreme Court, where a split verdict kept the issue alive at the national level.
For Karnataka, the latest order matters for five reasons:
1. It Attempts to Reduce Gate-Level Conflict
In 2022, many visuals showed students being stopped outside institutions. The new order tries to avoid such confrontations by giving administrators clearer instructions.
2. It Brings All Communities Under One Rule
The order does not mention hijab alone. It also includes janivara, rudraksha, turbans and other customary symbols. This helps the government frame the decision as a broader inclusivity policy, not a community-specific exemption.
3. It Keeps Uniforms Intact
The government has not allowed students to ignore uniforms. That is important because schools still retain their institutional identity and discipline.
4. It Reopens a Sensitive Political Debate
The hijab row was one of Karnataka’s biggest flashpoints before the 2023 Assembly election. Its return to headlines will likely influence political messaging in the state.
5. It Could Influence Other States
Karnataka’s decision may become a reference point in other states where schools face similar questions around uniforms, religious symbols and student rights.
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Case Study: Udupi to Bengaluru — How One Local Issue Became National
The hijab row began in Udupi, where some Muslim students were denied entry for wearing hijab with the uniform. What could have remained a local institutional dispute soon became a state-wide and national issue.
The debate moved through several stages:
- College-level disagreement in Udupi
- Student protests and counter-protests across Karnataka
- Government order in February 2022
- Karnataka High Court verdict in March 2022
- Supreme Court proceedings and split verdict
- Political debate during and after Karnataka elections
- 2026 rollback by the Congress government
This journey shows how education policy in India often becomes more than administration. It becomes a debate on rights, identity, secularism and electoral politics.
Summing it up
Karnataka’s new order is not just about hijab. It is about how a diverse society manages classrooms where children come from different faiths, customs and family backgrounds.
The government says it is protecting education and inclusivity. BJP says it is compromising the secular character of classrooms.
Between these two positions stands the student — the one who simply wants to attend class, write exams and move ahead in life.
For Karnataka, the challenge now is not only to issue an order, but to ensure that it is implemented peacefully, fairly and without turning school gates into political battlegrounds again.
FAQs
Q1. Has Karnataka withdrawn the hijab ban in schools?
Yes. The Karnataka government has withdrawn the February 5, 2022 uniform order that had led to restrictions on hijabs in schools and pre-university colleges. The new order allows students to wear limited faith-based and traditional symbols along with prescribed uniforms.
Q2. Is hijab now allowed in Karnataka schools and colleges?
Yes. Under the revised guidelines, students can wear hijab with the prescribed uniform, provided it does not affect discipline, safety or student identification.
Q3. Are sacred thread and rudraksha allowed in Karnataka schools?
Yes. The new order allows traditional and faith-based symbols such as janivara or sacred thread, rudraksha, shivadhara and other permitted symbols along with uniforms.
Q4. Are school uniforms still compulsory in Karnataka?
Yes. The Karnataka government has clarified that uniforms remain compulsory. The order only allows limited religious and traditional symbols to be worn along with the uniform.
Q5. Which institutions are covered under the new Karnataka order?
The new guidelines apply to government, aided and private schools, as well as pre-university colleges across Karnataka.
Q6. Why was the 2022 hijab order controversial?
The 2022 order led to restrictions on hijabs in educational institutions. It triggered protests, counter-protests and legal battles across Karnataka and later became a national debate on religious freedom, education and dress codes.
Q7. What did the Karnataka High Court say about hijab?
In March 2022, the Karnataka High Court upheld the restrictions and ruled that wearing hijab was not an essential religious practice in the context of school uniforms.
