India's Supreme Court fails to settle issue of wearing hijabs in classrooms

File photo of Hijab-wearing Muslim students walk in the premises of Government First Grade College and Centre for P.G Studies.

A two-judge bench of India's Supreme Court has expressed opposing views on whether students can wear the Muslim headscarf in classrooms, a contentious issue that had sparked widespread protests earlier this year and become a flashpoint over the rights of minorities.

The southern Karnataka state imposed a ban on students wearing the hijab in classrooms in February. It was challenged in the top court after another court upheld the government order on the ground that wearing the hijab is not an essential practice of Islam.