In an intervention application before the Allahabad High Court (HC), in a matter pertaining to religious education imparted in institutions at the government’s expense, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has submitted that the education given to children in madrasas is not adequate or comprehensive.
The NCPCR, in its affidavit, said that it has been noted through numerous complaints that madrasas work in an “arbitrary manner” and this is against the provisions of Right to Education Act, 2009 (RTE Act) and Juvenile Justice Act.
The Allahabad HC in March 2023, had directed the state and the Central governments to file a reply explaining as to how an institution _ running on government funds _ can impart religious education to students. The court, while hearing a petition filed by Azaj Ahmad who teaches in a Madrasa in Jaunpur district of Uttar Pradesh and had approached court over salary issues, has asked the government if the religious education being imparted in educational institutions could be in violation of Articles 14, 25, 26, 29, and 30 of the Constitution of India.
