The Supreme Court stayed an Allahabad High Court order, which had declared the Uttar Pradesh Board of Madrasa Education Act, 2004, as “unconstitutional”.
The High Court order would impinge on the future course of education of nearly 17 lakh students who are pursuing education in these (madrasas) institutions.
The High Court held the Act unconstitutional on the ground that it violated “the principle of secularism” and fundamental rights provided under Article 14 of the Constitution.
The court went through the madrasa syllabi and said the law is “violative of Section 22 of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956”.
There is a total of 16,513 recognised and 8,449 unrecognised madrasas in the state, catering to approximately 27 lakh students.
Out of the 16,513 recognised madrasas, 558 are fully funded by the state government — these madrasas employ around 9,000 teachers.
The rest of the recognised madrasas are government-aided, privately-run madrasas.
The Uttar Pradesh Board of Madrasa Education Act was enacted in 2004 and the board was formed in 2007.