The madrasa committee has challenged the government’s order directing the Economic Offences Wing to inspect 558 madrasas, calling it harassment and unconstitutional
LUCKNOW – The Allahabad High Court has asked the Uttar Pradesh government to file a response within four weeks on a petition filed by the Arabic Madrasa Committee against what it calls repeated harassment of madrasas in the state.
The matter was heard on Monday by a bench of Justices Sangeeta Chandra and Brij Raj Singh at the Lucknow bench of the high court.
The petition was filed by Ayaz Mustafa Khan, head of the managing committee of Arabic Madrasa Committee in Uttar Pradesh, after the state government ordered the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) to inspect 558 Islamic seminaries. The inspection, according to the government, was directed by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).
Senior advocates BK Singh, Mohammad Ali Ausaf, and Gauri Shankar Mor appeared on behalf of the Arabic Madrasa Committee. Government lawyer Afzal Ahmed Siddiqui represented the Madrasa Board of Uttar Pradesh.
Speaking to reporters, Siddiqui said: “The high court has sought a reply from the government. The next hearing will take place on October 6.”
The teachers’ union of Madrasa Arabia has also expressed deep anger, saying the constant orders for inspections amount to harassment of Muslim institutions. “We are being inspected again and again as if madrasas are criminals. This is not inspection, it is intimidation,” said one senior teacher in Lucknow.
Ayaz Mustafa Khan, the petitioner, argued that the state government’s actions go against constitutional protections. “Madrasas have existed in Uttar Pradesh for centuries. Our forefathers built them with hard work. Why are they being criminalised today?” he asked.
The petition comes at a time when the Yogi Adityanath government has intensified its campaign against what it terms “illegal madrasas.” Several demolitions have already been carried out using bulldozers, a move that has drawn sharp criticism from Muslim leaders and rights activists.
“When bulldozers come, they don’t see students, books, or teachers. They only see targets. This is creating fear among Muslim families who send their children to study,” a madrasa teacher from Saharanpur was quoted by media reports as saying.
The Uttar Pradesh government, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has defended its stand, saying it is committed to rooting out illegal activities and irregularities in madrasa funding. Critics, however, allege that the government is using the issue to portray Muslims as outsiders and to score political points.
Community leaders say the issue is not just about institutions, but about the dignity of Muslims in Uttar Pradesh. “Madrasas do not indulge in criminal activities; they are centres of education. Targeting them is targeting the Muslim identity of this state,” said Maulana Rashid, a cleric from Bareilly.
The case will next be heard on 6 October. Until then, madrasas across the state remain under pressure, with the Arabic Madrasa Committee vowing to continue its legal and social fight against what it calls an attack on Muslim education.
