Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh Government is mulling a major overhaul of the state’s madrasa education system, with a proposal to discontinue the Kamil and Fazil courses. Sources told Times Now that the proposal has been placed before the state Cabinet for consideration as part of wider reforms in Madrasa education.
If approved, the recognition granted to Kamil (graduation) and Fazil (post-graduation) courses will be withdrawn. The government is also expected to bring in the necessary legal provisions to clarify the validity and status of degrees that have already been awarded under these programs.
Notably, in November 2024, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutional validity of the Uttar Pradesh Madarsa Education Act 2004. The apex court had set aside the Allahabad High Court ruling, which had struck down the act as unconstitutional and violative of the principles of secularism.
A bench headed by the then Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud has stated that it did not violate the principle of secularism, and the Allahabad HC erred in holding that the madarsa law. The apex court’s decision had provided relief to about 17 lakh madrasa students in Uttar Pradesh.
“The Allahabad High Court erred in holding that the madarsa law had to be struck down for violating basic structure, which is the principle of secularism. The legislative scheme of the Uttar Pradesh Board of Madarsa Education Act was to standardise the level of education being prescribed in madrasas,” the bench had said.
The Supreme Court delivered its verdict today on a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by an advocate challenging the vires of the Madrasa Act, 2004, the Allahabad HC, in its order delivered in March 2022 that year.
Earlier in June his, the Uttar Pradesh Board had also withdarwn the recognition of 465 self-financed schools automatically across the state. This move was followed by the information that the schools neither sent any students to appear for board examinations nor conducted classes for two consecutive academic sessions, that is, 2024-25 and 2025-26.