Sacred thread row: Brahmin body moves Karnataka HC, seeks re-examination

Bengaluru, April 26 The Akhila Karnataka Brahmana Mahasangh filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Karnataka High Court on Saturday, condemning the removal of sacred threads from students during the Common Entrance Test (CET).

The organisation has also demanded that a re-examination be conducted.

The High Court has accepted the petition and will hear the PIL on June 9.

Senior counsel S. Sriranga, arguing in favour of the petition, submitted that several incidents of sacred threads being removed from students during exams have been reported across the state.

He argued that this unconstitutional act has infringed upon the rights of the students.

The incident was reported on April 16, when the CET, a state-level entrance exam conducted by the Karnataka Examination Authority (KEA) for admissions to various undergraduate courses, including engineering, medical, and dental programmes.

Incidents of students not being allowed to exam centres were reported from Shivamogga, Bidar and Dharwad cities.

The sacred threads were cut before allowing the students to write the exam.

In Bidar, the authorities denied permission to allow a student to write the CET exam, after he refused to take out the sacred thread.

Notably, the Congress-led government in Karnataka has apologised for the issues and given orders to suspend the Pre-University College Principal and staff.

The government has also promised that the student, who was denied permission to appear for the exam, would be given justice.

The Karnataka BJP has filed a complaint with the National Human Rights Commission over the sacred thread row, in which students wearing janviara/janeu were denied entry to write the CET in the state.

In his complaint, Leader of the Opposition in Karnataka Assembly R. Ashoka highlighted that while Hindu students wearing sacred threads were denied entry, Muslim girls wearing hijab were allowed to write the examinations.

Opposition leader Ashoka said, "I have filed a complaint with the National Human Rights Commission on Thursday about the incidents of infringement of personal beliefs by the Karnataka government in which students were compelled to remove their sacred religious symbols such as Janivara (Yagnopavita), Shivadara etc. during the CET examination at several centres across the state."

He appealed to the Commission to take prompt and appropriate action to safeguard the rights and dignity of citizens, especially the youth, whose future should not be jeopardised by such "unlawful and discriminatory" practices.

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