K’taka Govt Decides To Withdraw 35 Criminal Cases

The Karnataka Cabinet has decided to withdraw 35 criminal cases registered in various police stations of the state. The Cabinet’s decision came in accordance with the recommendation of a sub-committee.

In the meeting that was held on Monday night, the Cabinet gave its nod over several matters including the appointment of civic workers as government employees.
The meeting at the Vidhan Soudha concluded with the nod to approve the appointment of civic workers who were performing duties on an outsourcing basis as government employees.

With this, the government will appoint 11,133 civil servants serving in the Municipal Corporations and other local bodies of the state as government employees under the special recruitment rules.

3,673 employees of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), 5,533 in municipal councils and 1,927 civil servants in municipal corporations are working on contract basis. Now recruitment will be done as government employees and the civil servants will be working under the pay scale of Rs 17,000-28,980, the meeting concluded.

The meeting of the Cabinet in Karnataka also announced the merger of Pre University (PU) and SSLC exam boards.

The amalgamation was agreed in view of the financial loss and the need for additional staff in these educational bodies.

The Cabinet also took a call on the ‘mutual transfer of teachers’. Such transfers are allowed when both teachers of the same subject agree.

The Cabinet announced that a bill regarding the transfer of teachers will be presented in the House today.

Meanwhile, the Basavaraj Bommai-led government has ordered to provide 75 units of free electricity to the Below the Poverty Line (BPL) cardholders of SC and ST community.

The Chief Minister’s Education Fund Scheme will be extended to the children of fishermen and farmers.

The state Cabinet further agreed to table the Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority Bill in the House. (ANI)

Hijab Ban In Karnataka

Don’t Compare Hijab With Sikh Turban Or Kirpan: SC Bench

The Supreme Court on Thursday said that there is no comparison between Kirpan and turban of Sikhs with the hijab as a five-judge bench of the apex court held that wearing turban and kirpan is allowed for Sikhs.

The remarks came when a bench of Justices Hemant Gupta and Sudhanshu Dhulia heard various petitions challenging the Karnataka High Court judgement upholding the ban on hijab in educational institutes.

Advocate Nizamuddin Pasha, appearing for one of the petitioners, who is a student of Islam and Arabic, tried to draw similarities between the Kirpan and turban with the hijab.

Pasha said that the hijab is a part of the religious practice of Muslim girls and also asked if girls can be stopped from coming to school wearing hijab. He further argued that even Sikh students wear turbans.

Pasha stressed that cultural practices should be protected.

Justice Gupta said that comparison with Sikhs may not be proper as carrying of the kirpan is recognized by the Constitution. “So don’t compare practices,” the court remarked.

Justice Gupta said there are statutory requirements on turbans and these are all practices well established in the culture of the country.

Pasha tries to cite examples of foreign countries like France.

Justice Gupta said that we do not want to be according to France or Austria. “We are Indians and want to be in India,” the court said.

Pasha while countering the Karnataka HC judgement said that the hijab protects Muslim women.

Pasha said that the findings of Karnataka HC that the Hijab is a cultural practice are based on the assumption. He cited various religious books to support his arguments.

He also argued that it was a misreading of the footnote that the HC held that the Hijab is a “recommendation” and not “essential”.

Senior advocate Devadatt Kamat said that every religious practice is not essential but it is not that the state goes on restricting it.

During the hearing, Kamat, appearing for another petitioner apprised the court that divergent views were taken by Karnataka, Kerala and Madras High Court judgments on whether the hijab is an essential religious practice. Madras and Kerala courts have held Hijab as an essential religious practice but Karnataka HC differed, Kamat said.

“Karnataka Government Order on the prescription of uniform in educational institutes suffers from non-application of mind,” he further added. (ANI)