New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday issued notices to the Union Government, the Uttar Pradesh Government, and the State’s Madrasa Board in response to a petition highlighting the uncertain future of over 25,000 students pursuing fazil (postgraduate) and kamil (undergraduate) courses in madrasas. These courses were declared unconstitutional by the top court in November 2024.
The court had ruled that certain provisions of the Uttar Pradesh Madrasa Education Board Act, 2004, particularly those concerning fazil and kamil studies, were in direct conflict with the University Grants Commission (UGC) Act.
The petition, led by students including Mohd. Laman Raza and represented by advocate Sanjeev Malhotra, argued that the state government had not taken any measures to accommodate or transfer affected students to other educational institutions since the verdict. The inaction, they contended, violated their fundamental rights to equality and dignity.
“The decision of this court regarding kamil and fazil courses, along with the lack of action on the petitions seeking accommodation, has cast a shadow of uncertainty over students’ futures, jeopardizing their educational prospects,” the petition stated.
The Supreme Court’s notice seeks responses from the concerned authorities on how they plan to resolve the issue and safeguard the students’ academic future.
