Karnataka government on Monday reiterated that Hijab is not an essential religious practice and said religious instructions should be kept outside the educational institutions.

"This is our stand that Hijab is not an essential religious practice. There was a statement by Dr B R Ambedkar in the Constituent Assembly where he said `let us keep the religious instructions outside educational institutions`," Karnataka Advocate General Prabhuling Navadgi told the full bench of the High Court, which is hearing the Hijab case.