State PCS - Uttarakhand (UKPSC)

• 04 Apr 2025

Reopening of Madrasa in Uttarakhand

Why in News? 

On 3rd April 2025, the Uttarakhand High Court ordered the government to unseal a madrasa, which officials had sealed for allegedly operating “illegally,” provided the institution does not run any school in the building without State government recognition. 

 Key Points 

• Government Action on Madrasas: 
  • The State government shut down over 136 madrasas for allegedly operating without affiliation and failing to meet madrasa board norms. 
  • The state Chief Minister also ordered an inquiry into the funding of these institutions. 
• High Court's Interim Relief: 
  • The court granted interim relief to Madarsa Enamul Uloom in Dehradun, allowing its reopening. 
  • The madrasa owners challenged the sealing, arguing that they operated a religious school under a registered society and that the State had sealed the premises without legal authority. 
  • The High Court also asked the State government to clarify the legal provisions and procedures followed in sealing the madrasa’s property. 
• Court’s Observations on Due Process: 
  • The High Court noted that the madrasa was sealed without a show-cause notice, and the petitioners were denied a hearing. 
  • The court ruled that the property should be unsealed until the next hearing, provided the petitioners submit an undertaking that they will not operate a madrasa or school without State government recognition. 

 Madrasas  

• Madrasa is an Arabic word for an educational institution.  
• Initially, mosques served as educational institutions in early Islam, but by the 10th century, madrasas evolved into distinct entities for both religious and secular learning in the Islamic world.  
• The earliest madrasas were found in Khorasan and Transoxania (modern eastern and northern Iran, central Asia, and Afghanistan), with larger institutions providing housing for students, especially those from poor backgrounds.  
• Recognized madrasas are under state boards; unrecognized ones follow curricula from major seminaries like Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama and Darul Uloom Deoband.