The Assam government had announced the conversion of state-controlled madrassas into schools. For this, the Assam government had brought the Assam Repealing Act 2020. The Supreme Court has issued a notice to the Assam government while hearing a petition filed against the decision to convert government-controlled madrassas into schools.
The Supreme Court has issued this notice to the Assam government on a special leave petition filed against the decision of the Gauhati High Court. The Gauhati High Court had upheld the Assam government’s decision to convert madrassas into government schools. The Gauhati High Court had said that it is not the job of the government to promote any religion.
In the appeal filed by the petitioner, it has been said that earlier these madrasas were private which were taken over by the government long back. After hearing the arguments of the petitioner, the Supreme Court has issued notice to the Assam government. It is noteworthy that the Assam government had ordered the closure of all government madrasas in the state from April 1 and convert them into schools.
620 madrasas are coming under the JD of this decision of the Assam government. The Assam government has stopped financial assistance for religious education. The management committees of madrassas had filed a petition in the Gauhati High Court against the decision of the Assam government to convert state-controlled madrassas into schools. By filing a petition in the Gauhati High Court, the management committees of the madrasas had termed this decision of the Assam government as a violation of Articles 29 and 30 of the Constitution.
A bench headed by the then Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court, Sudhanshu Dhulia, heard the petition filed by the managing committees of the madrasas. A Bench headed by the then Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court has upheld the Bill of 2020 nullifying the provisions of the Assam Madrasa Education (Provincialization) Act 1995 and the Assam Madrasa Education (Provincialization of Teachers’ Services and Reorganization of Educational Institutions) Act 2018. had ordered.
