Uttarakhand govt passes bill to scrap Madrasa Act, bring minority schools under one authority
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The Uttarakhand government on Sunday approved a new bill that seeks to repeal the Uttarakhand Madrasa Education Board Act, 2016, and bring all minority-run educational institutions under a common regulatory framework.
The legislation, titled the Uttarakhand Minority Educational Institutions Bill, 2025, will be tabled in the Assembly session beginning Tuesday, according to PTI.
The bill, cleared during a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, will also extend minority status to institutions run by Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Christian, and Parsi communities.
If passed, the law will nullify the Uttarakhand Non-Government Arabic and Persian Madrasa Recognition Rules, 2019, which gave the madrasa board authority over syllabus-setting, exams, inspections, and granting recognition, The Indian Express reported.
In the Indian subcontinent, “madrasa” commonly refers to Islamic seminaries, though globally the term also denotes institutions offering broader education.
Under the new framework, all minority-run schools will require approval from a designated authority to qualify as minority institutions. This authority will oversee curriculum and ensure alignment with the standards of the state’s Board of School Education.
Currently, Uttarakhand has 452 recognised madrasas, but in March, the state government sealed 136 others, citing a lack of registration with the education department or madrasa board. “Action against illegal madrasas, unauthorised shrines, and encroachments will continue,” a government communique said, noting that unregistered madrasas in towns bordering Uttar Pradesh pose “a serious security concern.”
Critics, however, argue that the crackdown has disproportionately targeted Muslim institutions.
In February last year, a mosque and madrasa in Banbhoolpura, Haldwani, were demolished on grounds of encroachment while the matter was pending in the Uttarakhand High Court. The demolition sparked violent clashes that left six dead, followed by a heavy police crackdown on Muslim residents, including mass detentions and barricades in affected neighbourhoods.