NEW DELHI (AP) — A court in a southern Indian state has upheld the ban on wearing hijab in schools and colleges, saying the Muslim headscarf is not an essential religious practice of Islam.

The high court in Karnataka state delivered the verdict Tuesday after considering petitions filed by Muslim students challenging a government ban on hijabs.

The dispute began in January when a government-run school in Karnataka’s Udupi district barred students wearing hijabs from entering classrooms, triggering protests by Muslims.

More schools in the state followed with similar bans and the state’s top court disallowed students from wearing hijab until it delivered a verdict.

In India, where Muslims make up 14% of the country’s 1.4 billion people, the hijab has historically been neither prohibited nor limited in public spheres.