SC to hear PIL seeking regulation of religious schools for children

The Supreme Court of India will hear a PIL on May 11 seeking regulation and monitoring of all institutions providing secular or religious education to children below 14. Petitioner Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay cited concerns over unregistered institutions and potential misuse affecting children’s welfare and national security

New Delhi: The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a PIL on May 11 seeking directions to regulate all institutions that impart education or religious instruction to children under 14 years of age. A bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Satish Chandra Sharma is likely to hear the plea filed by advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay.

The plea, filed through advocate Ashwani Dubey, has sought directions to “take appropriate steps to register, recognise, supervise and monitor all institutions, imparting secular education and/or religious instruction to children up to the age of 14 years in the spirit of Article 21A read with Article 39 (f), 45 and 51-A(k).” The petition stated that Article 30 does not grant any special or additional rights to minorities beyond what is already guaranteed under Article 19(1)(g).

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“Direct and declare that Article 30 is specific reiteration of the Article 19(1)(g) and doesn’t confer any additional rights/benefits/privileges than the rights guaranteed to the citizens under Article 19(1)(g),” the plea said.

“Petitioner is filing the PIL under Article 32 for registration recognition supervision monitoring of all institutions imparting secular/religious education to children up to 14 years in spirit of Article 21A, 39(f), 45 and 51-A(k).

“Petitioner submits that children are the backbone of nation’s growth and are also gullible & naive due to their tender age. Hence, State has heightened responsibility towards them. This is an issue of national security as young kids form the future of nation, can be brainwashed/manipulated in unregistered institution,” it said.

Upadhyay, in his plea, has claimed that he visited several districts along the Uttar Pradesh border, where numerous unregistered and unrecognised institutions were allegedly found operating.
He said unregistered and unrecognised institutions are proliferating across the border areas of the country without any effective oversight or regulatory mechanism.