The Supreme Court, while hearing out the petitioners in the Karnataka hijab ban case, was told by a senior advocate that India has a 5000-year history of syncretic liberalism, which must be upheld at any cost. Dushyant Dave, while advocating for the petitioners, asked the bench consisting of Justices Hemant Gupta and Sudhanshu Dhulia that allowing the students to practice freedom of conscience and religion—as accorded by the Indian Constitution—by letting them wear the hijab in classrooms would indeed preserve this syncretic culture.
Insisting that the ban would further marginalise the choices of Muslim girls and women, Dave argued that even in foreign nations like the US, wearing symbols of religion like turbans is allowed. Insisting that girls wearing the hijab in classrooms will not threaten the integrity of India, he asked the bench to consider the petitioners’ request.
The bench, however, argued that some of the instances presented by Dave were self-contradictory. Many of the cases talk about ensuring religious freedom while in religious spaces. The hearing on the petitions challenging the Karnataka High Court’s March 15 judgement will continue this week in the Supreme Court.