Indian scholars, activists criticize school hijab ban ruling

By SHEIKH SAALIQ
Associated Press

NEW DELHI (AP) — An Indian court ruling upholding a ban on Muslim students wearing head coverings in schools has sparked criticism from constitutional scholars and rights advocates who say that judicial overreach threatens religious freedoms in an officially secular nation. Even though the ban is only imposed in the southern state of Karnataka, critics worry it could be used as a basis for wider curbs on Islamic expression. Before the verdict more than 700 signatories, including senior lawyers and rights advocates, opposed the ban in an open letter to the court’s chief justice. Supporters of the decision say schools’ authority to determine dress codes and govern student conduct takes precedence over any religious practice.