UP Madarsa Act Struck Down By High Court As “Unconstitutional, Against secularism’

Lucknow: The Allahabad High Court struck down the UP Board of Madarsa Education Act, 2004, terming it “unconstitutional” for violating the principle of secularism.

A division bench of Justices Vivek Chaudhary and Subhash Vidyarthi asked the state government to accommodate the madrasa students in the formal education system.

The Lucknow bench’s order was made on a petition by Anshuman Singh Rathore, who challenged the UP Madrasa board and objected to its management by the minority welfare department.

The High Court ruling came months after the UP government ordered to survey the Islamic education institutions in the state. The UP government also formed a Special Investigating Team (SIT) in October 2023 to investigate the foreign funding received by the madrasas.