Owaisi Welcomes Supreme Court’s Ruling Upholding UP Madrassa Education Law
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president, Asaduddin Owaisi, on Tuesday, November 5, welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the 2004 Uttar Pradesh Board of Madrassa Education Law, which was earlier challenged by the Allahabad High Court.
Owaisi criticized the Yogi Adityanath-led state government for attempting to malign madrasas, stating that the government had failed to pay the salaries of teachers in over 21,000 madrassas, which amounted to Rs 1,628.46 crore for the year 2022-23. He emphasized that these teachers not only taught religious subjects but also mainstream subjects like science and mathematics.
The Supreme Court’s verdict came as a major relief to the madrassa community, overturning the Allahabad High Court’s judgment that had deemed the law unconstitutional on grounds of secularism. The apex court clarified that the law was aimed at standardizing madrassa education and had not violated any constitutional principles. The ruling ensures that the madrassas will continue to operate, preserving educational opportunities for thousands of students in Uttar Pradesh.
Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, who led the bench, remarked that the law could only be struck down if it lacked legislative competence, which was not the case here.
The decision also brings hope to madrassa teachers and staff who have been waiting for their unpaid dues to be cleared by the state government. Owaisi expressed hope that the government would settle these long-pending payments promptly.
