Announcing its verdict on the controversial hijab row, the Karnataka High Court on Tuesday upheld the ban on hijab worn by Muslim women to educational institutions.

In its judgment, the high court said that the headscarves worn by Muslim women were not an essential religious practice.

The court understood that wearing of hijab by Muslim women was not part of essential religious practice under Islam. Prescription of school uniform is only a reasonable restriction which students cannot be object, it said in its judgement.

Karnataka HC also dismissed writ petitions filed by Muslims girl students seeking permission to wear hijab in colleges.

Reacting to the Karnataka High Court's decision, Union minister Pralhad Joshi was quoted by ANI as saying, "I welcome the Court's decision. I appeal to everyone that the state & country has to go forward, everyone has to maintain peace by accepting the order of HC. The basic work of students is to study. So leaving all this aside they should study and be united."

The issue had reached its flashpoint after students were not allowed to enter classrooms and were asked to remove them. This led to five students challenging the ban in the court.

The state government has banned large gatherings for a week in the capital city Bengaluru in order to “maintain public peace”. Gatherings have also been banned between March 15 to 19 in Mangalore while Udupi district administration declared a holiday in schools and colleges today.

The Karnataka HC had banned religious clothes including Hijab and saffron scarves temporarily last month as the controversy turned into protest demonstrations and several Muslim students were being harassed by students who showed up wearing saffron scarves saying that they were also linked to religious identity.

Notably, along with students, teachers were also not allowed to enter schools and colleges wearing the hijab in many parts of the state since then.

Last month, the Karnataka government had contended before the court that wearing the hijab is not an essential religious practice of Islam and preventing it does not violate the constitutional right of religious freedom.

The move from the state government drew criticism from the United States and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and led to protests in some other parts of the country as well.