Supreme Court notice on plight of over 25,000 madrasa students in U.P.

The top court had found the provisions of the Uttar Pradesh Madrasa Education Board Act of 2004, pertaining to the higher levels of fazil and kamil, in direct conflict with the provisions of the University Grants Commission Act.  File
| Photo Credit: PTI

The Supreme Court on Friday (February 21, 2025) issued notice to the Union Government, Uttar Pradesh Government and the State’s Madrasa Board on a petition highlighting the plight of over 25,000 students of madrasas doing fazil (postgraduate) and kamil (undergraduate) courses, which were declared unconstitutional by the top court in November 2024 in a judgment.

The top court had found the provisions of the Uttar Pradesh Madrasa Education Board Act of 2004, pertaining to the higher levels of fazil and kamil, in direct conflict with the provisions of the University Grants Commission Act.

However, the petition filed by several students led by Mohd. Laman Raza, all of whom were represented by advocate Sanjeev Malhotra, said the State Government has, since the judgment, done nothing to accommodate in or transfer these students to other educational institutions.

The petition said the inaction was a violation of their rights to equality and dignity.

“The decision of this court to the extent of the kamil and fazil courses and the subsequent inaction over the applications and requests by petitioners to transfer/shift/accommodate them and/or to issue guidelines to conduct their examination has cast a shadow of uncertainty over the bright future of students pursuing kamil and fazil studies in madrasas across the State, leaving their educational prospects in jeopardy,” the petition said.