Supreme Court Refuses Urgent Hearing On Muslim Students’ Plea Against Hijab Ban

In a blatant failure to take a stand for the human rights of Indian citizens, the Supreme Court has refused to hold an urgent hearing on a plea submitted by Muslim students against the Karnataka state High Court’s discriminatory ban on hijabs in schools.

Devadutt Kamat, advocate for the students, had sought the hearing, pointing out that the students were anxious about missing their exams due to being forcibly kicked out of schools for wearing the hijab.

However, a bench headed by Chief Justice N.V. Ramana claimed that the plea had “nothing to do with the exams,” and told Kamat not to “sensationalize the matter.” This open bigotry reflects the propaganda pushed by members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Hindu extremist groups, who claim that the Muslim students are “terrorists” who are part of a larger “anti-national” plot against Hindus.

Kamat contended that the girl students were not being allowed to enter the schools, and as such would be forced to repeat a year of education. However, the bench dismissed this as well in a blatant disregard for the education of hundreds of girls.

Academics and activists from the international community have slammed the Indian judiciary for acting as a means to reinforce Modi’s Hindu supremacist agenda, rewarding those who discriminate against Muslims and punishing those who dissent.

Kashmiri Muslim Man Denied Hotel Room In Delhi

A viral video taken in Delhi shows a Hindu hotel employee refusing to give a Kashmiri Muslim man a hotel room, leading to outrage on social media.

In the video, the man asked the employee why the hotel will not accept a Kashmiri ID, offering to show her his passport and citizenship card as well. However, the employee refused to acknowledge him, despite him asking repeatedly, and instead placed a call to her supervisor. The employee then told the man that “[Delhi] police have restricted us from allowing anyone from Jammu and Kashmir” into the hotel.

In response to the backlash, the Delhi police tweeted, “A purported video is viral on social media wherein a person is being denied hotel reservation due to his J&K ID. Reason for cancellation is being given as direction from police… no such direction has been given… willful misrepresentation can attract penal action.”

The case was brought to light by Nasir Khuehami, National Spokesperson Of Jammu And Kashmir Students’ Association, who tweeted, “Impact of #KashmirFiles on the ground. Delhi Hotel denies accommodation to [a] Kashmiri man, despite [having] provided ID and other documents. Is being a Kashmiri a Crime?”

Khuehami was referring to The Kashmir Files, an anti-Muslim propaganda film that is being widely promoted by the BJP. Hindu extremist audiences who viewed the film commonly chanted Hindu religious slogans as well as “shoot the traitors” in theaters.

Karnataka Government Bans Muslims From Doing Business Around Hindu Institutions

In the Karnataka government’s latest move to marginalize and harass Muslims, the BJP stated that non-Hindus cannot do business around Hindu festivals, and only Hindus can participate in the auctioning of stalls and setting up shops. Muslims were also barred from conducting business on properties belonging to temples.

“While framing rules to Karnataka Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments Act in 2002, Rule 12 states that no property including land, building or site situated near the institution shall be leased to non-Hindus. Citing these rules, posters and banners have been put up,” said Law Minister J. C. Madhuswamy, using the discriminatory laws as a way to legitimize the blatant Hindu supremacism at play.

Hindu supremacist groups applauded the statement, including the dangerous Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP). VHP leader Sharan Pumpwell stated that the group would be writing to the state minister demanding that all temples enforce the rule.

“The closure of shops and business establishments by members of a community over the hijab verdict has prompted people to take this step,” he said.

“Those who have no respect for our gods, our religious places and follow a different faith should not do business during our religious festivals,” said Prakash Kukkehalli of the Hindu Jagarana Vedik, another extremist group. Meanwhile, posters have already been put up near Hindu institutions, warning that Muslims and Christians are unwelcome and should stay away.

Muslim Activist Booked Under Draconian Anti-Terror Law Denied Bail

Umar Khalid, a Muslim activist who was arrested under India’s draconian anti-terror laws for his role in protesting against the discriminatory Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), has been denied bail in yet another failure of the Indian justice system.

This is the third time in two years that Khalid’s bail has been denied, despite the fact that the case presented against him by Delhi police is flimsy. Khalid is accused of being part of a “larger conspiracy” regarding the Delhi 2020 violence, during which tens of Muslims were lynched at the hands of Hindu supremacist mobs.

Khalid has been imprisoned since September 2020 for supposedly inflaming communal tensions when making speeches decrying the anti-Muslim nature of the CAA, despite the fact that Hindu extremists and BJP leaders openly encouraged Hindus to “shoot the traitors to the nation (Muslims)” and were never held accountable for their calls for violence.