India court effectively bans madrasas in big state before election

NEW DELHI, Mar 23: A court in India essentially banned Islamic schools in the countrys most populous state, a move that could further distance many Muslims from Prime Minister Narendra Modis Hindu-nationalist government ahead of national elections.

The Friday ruling scraps a 2004 law governing madrasas in Uttar Pradesh, saying it violates Indias constitutional secularism and ordering that students be moved to conventional schools.

The Allahabad High Court order affects 2.7 million students and 10,000 teachers in 25,000 madrasas, said Iftikhar Ahmed Javed, head of the board of madrasa education in the state, where one-fifth of the 240 million people are Muslims.
"The state government shall also ensure that children between the ages of 6 to 14 years are not left without admission in duly recognised institutions," Judges Subhash Vidyarthi and Vivek Chaudhary wrote in their order, which was made on the basis of an appeal by lawyer Anshuman Singh Rathore.    —REUTERS