Bengaluru: A three-judge Bench of the Karnataka High Court today heard the petitions questioning the ban on wearing of hijabs by students in colleges.

Schools and colleges continue to be closed across the State and any kind of protest has been banned near educational institutions for the coming two weeks.

On Wednesday, Justice Krishna S Dixit, who was hearing the case, referred the petitions to a larger Bench while asking the Registry to place the petitions before the Chief Justice for constituting such a Bench in view of the urgency of the matter.

Headed by Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi, the three-judge bench, referred to as a full bench of the High Court, also includes Justice Krishna S Dixit, who referred the matter to a larger bench, and Justice Khazi Jaibunnisa Mohiuddin. Justice Mohiuddin is a woman judge who took oath as an additional judge of the High Court in March last year.

Karnataka government has pointed fingers towards the Campus Front of India, the student wing of PFI (Popular Front of India) for creating unrest in campuses on Tuesday, following which the educational institutions have been closed for three days.

Significantly, the constitution of a larger bench is contrary to the Karnataka High Court rules, which prescribe that a reference to a full bench can be made only by a two-judge bench. The larger bench hearing also takes away a layer of intra-court appeal.