In a significant ruling, the Uttarakhand High Court has held that unregistered and unrecognised madrassas are not permitted to impart religious education or conduct religious activities such as offering namaz.
The ruling was delivered by Justice Ravindra Maithani while hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by several Haridwar-based madrassa management bodies, including Madarssa Jamia Rajbia Faizul Quran, Madarssa Darul Quran, Nurool Huda Education Trust, Sirajul Quran Arabiya Rasdiya Society, and Darul Uloom Sabriya Sirajiya Society.
The petitioners challenged the sealing of their educational institutions by the authorities, claiming that they had already submitted applications for registration and were awaiting approval due to delays in the convening of the board meeting responsible for the process.
However, the state government strongly defended its action, stating that the sealed madrassas were operating without registration and were engaged in unauthorized religious and educational activities. The government emphasized that these institutions were privately managed and did not hold official recognition to function.
Importantly, the state clarified that only unregistered madrassas had been sealed and there had been no disruption in grants or recognition for registered institutions.
