Uttarakhand police orders verification of madrassas in a month

Dehradun: Uttarakhand police has ordered a verification of madrassas in Uttarakhand following complaints about some of them operating illegally.

The order has been issued following an instruction to this effect from the Chief Minister's Office to the DGP, Inspector General of Police (Crime and Law and Order) Nilesh Anand Bharne said.

The verification process is necessary for the safety of children and maintaining law and order in the state, he said.

The main objective of the campaign is to stop illegal activities and ensure that all madrassas function within the legal framework, the IGP said.

All districts have been directed to submit a detailed investigation report within a month, he said.

The verification drive will focus on finding out whether the madrassas have a registration and all the necessary documents, the official said.

It will also examine the source of their funding and the verification of children studying in them, Bharne said.

In a related development in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, the Supreme Court on November 5 had upheld the constitutional validity of the 2004 state law regulating the Muslim minority educational institutions and said a statute cannot be struck down on the ground of secularism.

The Supreme Court said the positive concept of secularism required the state to treat minority institutions at par with secular ones and treat all equally irrespective of faith and belief.

The apex court made the remarks while upholding the constitutional validity of the 2004 Uttar Pradesh madrassa education law.

As a result, it set aside the March 22 Allahabad High Court order that quashed the madrassa law on the ground that it was violative of the principle of secularism.