Hijab ban remains after India’s top court split on verdict over headscarves in classrooms

India’s top court has delivered a split verdict on a petition appealing a lower court’s refusal to force authorities to withdraw a ban on schoolgirls wearing hijab in classrooms. In a ruling on October 13, 2022, a Supreme Court panel remained divided on the controversial restriction imposed in the southern state of Karnataka by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party government. The ban will remain in place for now, until another bench headed by India’s chief justice is expected to make a final ruling.