Initially, the police were unaware that the arrest accused was a male. The police officials had mistaken the accused for a girl after seeing him in a burqa.
In 2002, 15 Muslim school girls died as they were not allowed to escape a burning school building by Religious Police for not wearing hijab, rescuers were not allowed to help them because 'touching' women was not allowed.
Advocate Devdatt Kamat and AG Prabhuling Navadgi argued extensively about the validity of burqa/hijab in Quran and whether it can be considered as an essential religious practice.
On February 10, the Karnataka High Court had issued a preliminary ruling in the Hijab row case and instructing students and stakeholders to not wear any religious garments or headdresses till the case is resolved.