YOGI GOVERNMENT IN INDIA’S UP TO END KAMIL AND FAZIL DEGREES IN MADRASAS

Thu 06 August 2026:

The Uttar Pradesh government is preparing major reforms to the state’s madrasa education system by discontinuing the traditional Kamil and Fazil degree programmes. A proposal is expected to be placed before the cabinet led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday.

If approved, madrasas under the Uttar Pradesh Madrasa Education Board will be restricted to offering education only up to Class 12. The decision stems from a Supreme Court judgment delivered on 5 November 2024 in the Anjum Qadri and Others vs Union of India case.

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In that ruling, the apex court upheld the constitutional validity of the Uttar Pradesh Madrasa Education Board Act, 2004. However, it clarified that madrasas cannot award higher education degrees such as Kamil and Fazil unless they fully comply with the regulations of the University Grants Commission (UGC).

The court noted that higher education programmes fall outside the regulatory framework of the Madrasa Board and must adhere to UGC norms. At the same time, it overturned an earlier Allahabad High Court order that had struck down the 2004 Act as unconstitutional.

Kamil and Fazil are advanced traditional courses in the madrasa system, roughly equivalent to undergraduate and postgraduate levels in Islamic studies and related subjects. The proposed change aims to align madrasa education with the Supreme Court’s directives while confining Board-regulated institutions to secondary-level schooling.

Hostility toward Islamic institutions

Critics and human rights groups accuse India’s ruling, right-wing Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of fostering an environment of hostility toward Islamic institutions, including madrasas, through polarizing policies, administrative crackdowns, and rhetoric.

Government Policies and Administrative Actions

Surveys and Derecognition: BJP-led state governments, such as in Uttar Pradesh and Assam, have ordered surveys of unrecognised madrasas, cut state funding for traditional Islamic education, or transitioned madrasa boards into regular secular schools.

Demolitions: Human rights reports note that local municipal authorities in BJP-ruled states have increasingly targeted Muslim properties and fringe religious structures under anti-encroachment or “bulldozer justice” drives.

Ideological and Communal Tensions

Right-Wing Mobilization: Activists linked to Hindutva ideology (such as the RSS, VHP, and Bajrang Dal) have occasionally stormed or protested at historic Islamic sites—such as incidents involving mobs entering heritage madrasas like the Mahmud Gawan Madrasa in Bidar—claiming historical Hindu roots.

Political Polarization: Critics argue these actions are part of a broader majoritarian strategy by the political right to marginalize religious minorities and consolidate a Hindu voter base.

Government and Supporter Stance

Official Rationale: The BJP maintains that its reforms regarding madrasas are aimed at modernizing Islamic education, ensuring students receive standard math and science curricula, and bringing transparency and accountability to institutional administration.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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