Uttarakhand Seals 20 Madrasas Amid Education Reforms

11:57 PM ETDeveloping

Health Desk

In Short: The Uttarakhand government has sealed 20 madrasas in Dehradun and Haldwani, continuing its crackdown on unrecognised institutions as it implements new educational standards.

Uttarakhand's Special Secretary, Parag Madhukar Dhakate, announced that the government is sealing unrecognised madrasas in Dehradun and Haldwani, bringing the total to 20. The move is part of a broader effort to modernise the education system and ensure all institutions comply with prescribed standards. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has directed that no educational institution should operate without fulfilling these requirements.

According to reports, the government aims to integrate madrasas into the state education curriculum, a move welcomed by Hindutva leaders but criticised by Muslim scholars and madrasa administrators. The Chief Minister stated that institutions failing to follow the state education board’s curriculum after July 2026 would face closure. Critics argue that the move is a political deception and that no Islamic scholars have been included in the new authority.

Madrasa administrators and social activist Taufiq Elahi Qasmi described the decision as misleading, stating that the claim of bringing Muslims to equality is false. The government's action against unrecognised madrasas continues, with five more institutions in Dehradun and Haldwani sealed or shut down. The latest action brings the total to 20, following a previous crackdown that sealed over 200 institutions.

What's confirmed

The official said action was taken against three madrasas in Dehradun.
The Chief Minister said there would be no compromise with the future of children or the quality of education, and action against institutions violating rules would continue as per law.

What's still developing

“The government is pressuring madrasas to come under the education department,” he said.
The future of madrasas and minority educational institutions in the Indian state of Uttarakhand now appears headed toward a major legal and political confrontation, as tensions grow between government-led “reforms” and the preservation of minority identity.
The announcement was welcomed by several Hindutva religious leaders present at the gathering, who described the decision as a step toward integrating madrasas into the national mainstream.
Madrasa Jamia-Tus-Salam Al-Islamia in Azad Colony was sealed, while the managements of Madrasa Dar-e-Arqam in Azad Colony, Majra, and Madrasa Darul Uloom Rahimia submitted written undertakings stating that they had stopped operations.
Haldwani City Magistrate AB Vajpayee said the concerned madrasa managements were asked to submit documents related to recognition.
In Haldwani, two more madrasas — Madrasa Jamia Nooria Barkate Amina on Shani Bazaar Road in Gauja Jali North and an unrecognised madrasa in Indira Nagar, Banbhoolpura — were sealed after their managements failed to produce the required recognition documents, according to Haldwani City Magistrate A B Vajpayee.
The move comes more than a year after the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code, which made Uttarakhand the first state to implement it.
The legal position on the regulation of minority educational institutions was also examined by the Supreme Court in 2024, when it overturned an Allahabad High Court ruling and upheld the constitutional validity of the Uttar Pradesh Board of Madarsa Education Act, 2004.

Sources

The Statesmanlink