Uttarakhand seals five more unrecognised madrasas, total reaches 20
Uttarakhand has sealed or shut five more unrecognised madrasas, taking the total to 20 under its new minority education regime.
The Uttarakhand government has intensified its drive against unrecognised madrasas, sealing or shutting down five more institutions in Dehradun and Haldwani. This brings the total number of such closures across the state to 20, according to an official statement released on Saturday.
Minority Affairs Secretary Dr Parag Madhukar Dhakate confirmed that the action is part of a continuing effort against institutions that fail to meet prescribed recognition requirements and educational standards. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami reiterated that no educational institution would be allowed to function without complying with state rules.
In Dehradun, authorities sealed Madrasa Jamia-tus-Salam Al-Islamia in Azad Colony. The managements of two other institutions—Madrasa Dar-e-Arqam and Madrasa Darul Uloom Rahimia—submitted written undertakings that they have ceased operations.
In Haldwani, two more madrasas were sealed after their managements could not produce recognition documents. City Magistrate A B Vajpayee identified these as Madrasa Jamia Nooria Barkate Amina on Shani Bazaar Road and an unrecognised institution in Indira Nagar, Banbhoolpura.
This crackdown follows a major overhaul of the state's minority education system. In July, Uttarakhand became the first state to abolish its statutory Madrasa Board, replacing it with the Uttarakhand State Authority for Minority Education (USAME). The new authority regulates institutions run by all six notified minority communities, including Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Parsis, Jains, and Buddhists.
The new framework supersedes the Uttarakhand Madrasa Education Board Act, 2016, and the 2019 recognition rules. It is now governed by the Minority Education Act, 2025, and the 2026 recognition rules. Prior to this change, the state had 452 registered madrasas. The government has previously sealed over 200 institutions that had not sought recognition.
The move comes over a year after Uttarakhand implemented the Uniform Civil Code, another first for the state.
The regulatory push also aligns with a 2024 Supreme Court judgment concerning Uttar Pradesh's madrasa law. While that verdict upheld the constitutional validity of the UP Board of Madarsa Education Act, 2004, it clarified that the right of minorities to administer educational institutions is not absolute. The court noted that states can impose regulations on minority institutions as a condition for aid or recognition, balancing educational standards with minority rights under Article 30 of the Constitution.