J U D G M E N T

Dr Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud, CJI Table of Contents A. Introduction .......................................................................................................... 4 B. Background .......................................................................................................... 4 a. History of Madarsas ......................................................................................... 4 b. Teaching in Madarsas ...................................................................................... 6 c. Madarsa Act ...................................................................................................... 9 d. Steps taken by the State Government and the Board pursuant to the Madarsa Act .................................................................................................... 18 e. Proceedings before the High Court and Impugned Judgment .................. 20 f. Steps taken by the State Government and the proceedings before this Court ................................................................................................................ 23 C. Submissions ...................................................................................................... 24 D. Secularism and regulation of minority educational institutions ................... 29 a. Secularism in the constitutional context ..................................................... 29 b. Testing the validity of a statute for violation of the basic structure of the Constitution .................................................................................................... 34 c. Regulation of minority educational institutions .......................................... 41 d. The Madarsa Act is a regulatory legislation ................................................ 45 e. Interplay of Article 21-A and Article 30 ......................................................... 51 E. Legislative Competence .................................................................................... 54 a. The Madarsa Act is within the legislative competence of the State under Entry 25, List III ............................................................................................... 54 b. Certain provisions of the Madarsa Act conflict with the UGC Act enacted under Entry 66, List I ...................................................................................... 59 c. The entire Madarsa Act need not be struck down on the above ground .. 65 F. Conclusion ......................................................................................................... 69 PART A & B A. Introduction

1. The High Court of Judicature at Allahabad1 has held the Uttar Pradesh Board of Madarsa Education Act, 20042 to be unconstitutional on the ground that it violates the principle of secularism and Articles 14 and 21A of the Constitution. The Madarsa Act established the Uttar Pradesh Board of Madarsa Education,3 to regulate, among other things, the standards of education, qualifications for teachers, and conduct of examinations in Madarsas in the State of Uttar Pradesh. The entirety of the Act has been struck down by the High Court.

B. Background a. History of Madarsas

2. The term ‘madarsa’ refers to any school or college where any sort of education is imparted.4 The history of the establishment of Madarsas in the Indian subcontinent may be traced to the rule of the Tughlaqs.5 The pre-colonial Madarsas were of two types: (i) the Maktabs which were attached to mosques and imparted elementary education; and (ii) the Madarsas which were centres of higher learning and contributed to the administrative, religious, and cultural needs of the prevalent society.6 During colonial rule, the relative importance of Madarsas diminished with the introduction of English as the language of the colonial administration.7

1 “High Court”

2 “Madarsa Act”

3 “Board”

4 Yoginder Sikand, Bastions of the Believers: Madrasas and Islamic Education in India (Pengui