National anthem must at UP madrasas, rules Allahabad High Court

Lucknow: In a major boost for Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the Allahabad High Court on Wednesday upheld the state government’s order making it mandatory for all madrasas to recite the national anthem.

The high court rejected the petition that sought exemption from singing the national anthem across the 19,000 madrasas in Uttar Pradesh.

Striking down the plea, the court said that every citizen was bound by the Constitution to respect the national flag and anthem.

There can be no exceptions on the basis of religion, language or caste, the court further said.

On the occasion of Independence Day, the Uttar Pradesh Madarsa Shiksha Parishad had passed an order that made it compulsory for students at madrasas to sing the national anthem and hoist the flag.

However many madrasas had vehemently disagreed with the government’s order and did not sing the national anthem.

They even refused to videograph the Independence Day celebrations, one among the several orders passed by the state government. Many felt that the government’s order was an attempt to test their ‘patriotism’ and found it offensive

At present, around 8,000 madrasas in Uttar Pradesh come under the parishad. Among these, 560 are fully aided by the state.