Karnataka withdrew its 5 February 2022 uniform order on 13 May 2026. The earlier order, issued under a BJP state government, became central to restrictions on Muslim students wearing hijab in classrooms and the resulting legal challenge.
The High Court upheld the restrictions in March 2022. In October that year, two Supreme Court judges disagreed: one upheld the decision while the other rejected it. That split was not a unanimous Supreme Court endorsement of the ban.
The later state policy permitted limited customary symbols, including headscarves, turbans and sacred threads, with uniforms, subject to discipline, safety and identification requirements. The government presented this as a balance between institutional rules and individual freedom; BJP critics described the reversal as appeasement. A policy reversal and a final appellate judgment are different developments.