The Karnataka government led by the Congress has withdrawn a controversial 2022 order issued by the previous BJP administration that had banned the hijab in classrooms.

A fresh order released on Wednesday permits students to wear “limited traditional and custom-based symbols” alongside the prescribed school uniform. The earlier directive, issued on February 5, 2022, had required strict adherence to uniform rules, effectively disallowing the hijab in educational institutions.

The issue first sparked widespread debate in early 2022 after some Muslim students were reportedly prevented from attending classes while wearing the hijab, triggering protests and a broader public controversy. The matter soon reached the courts.

In March 2022, the Karnataka High Court upheld the state government’s uniform policy, stating that wearing the hijab was not an essential religious practice under Islam. Later, in October 2022, the Supreme Court delivered a split verdict on the issue, leaving the final resolution to a larger bench.

The government’s latest move comes amid renewed political discussion surrounding Muslim representation and recent electoral developments, including concerns raised by community leaders over ticket distribution in local elections. In the Davangere South bypoll, Congress candidate Samarth Shamanur Mallikarjun won by a narrow margin of about 5,700 votes, in a contest where vote division was noted as a factor.

The new order was announced by School Education and Literacy Minister Madhu Bangarappa at a press conference, alongside Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao and Shivajinagar MLA Rizwan Arshad.