The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court on Wednesday accepted the intervention petition of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) in a case related with religious education being imparted in madrasas at the government’s expense.
A single-judge bench of Justice Dinesh Kumar Singh observed: “The intervention application filed by the NCPCR is allowed and the NCPCR is permitted to intervene in the proceedings.”
The court also appointed advocate SM Singh Raikwar as amicus curiae (friend of the court) to assist the court in the matter.
The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court on March 27 had directed the Centre and the state governments to file affidavits explaining how religious education could be imparted in government-funded madrasas at government expense.
The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court had passed the order while hearing a writ petition of Azaj Ahmad, a teacher in madrasa Samdaniya Islamia, Shudnipur, Jaunpur district.
He had moved the court due to a salary dispute and sought relief from the madrasa board.
In this case, Azaj Ahmad v. State of UP, the NCPCR had filed the intervention petition on the issue of religious education being imparted in madrasas at the government’s expense.
“Education imparted to children in madrasas is not adequate/ comprehensive and, as such, the same is against the provisions of Right to Education Act, 2009,” the NCPCR’s application said.
The court listed the case for the next hearing on May 30.