In a major shot in the arm 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.
Striking down a plea that challenged Yogi government’s order making it mandatory for singing national anthem in the around 19,000 madrasas spread across the state, the High Court observed 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.
There are around 19,000 madrassas in Uttar Pradesh which have been in the cross-hairs of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled state government which sought video evidence of their mandatory singing of the national anthem on 15 August.
In recent years, Madrasas across the country have come under the spotlight because of their association with a succession of arrested Muslim extremists.