The notices issued to madrasas in Muzaffarnagar district, warning them of a fine of ₹10000 per day if they did not submit their registration/affiliation documents within three days, have been cancelled by the Basic Shiksha Adhikari (BSA) of the district. The BSA took this decision after a delegation of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind met the district magistrate of Muzaffarnagar Arvind Malappa on Wednesday and raised the issue of penalizing notices.
The delegation, led by Maulana Nazar, the state vice president of Jamiat, informed the DM that the notices were issued by the block education officer under the Bal Shiksha Adhikar Adhiniyam 2009, which was not applicable to madrasas, Vedic schools and other religious schools.
The U-turn decision comes days after FOEJ reported that the education department’s block education officer (BEO) issued notices to several madarsas to produce a registration certificate, or shut the Madarsa, failing which they will have to pay the penalty amount of Rs 10,000 a day.
Maulana Nazar, state vice president of Jamiat, said that the DM was told that notices were served under Bal Shiksha Adhikar Adhiniyam 2009 by the block education officer in spite of the fact that he was not a competent officer to issue notices. He said that madrasas, Vedic schools and other religious schools were excluded from the Act as per an amendment in 2012.
The DM assured the delegation that he would look into the matter and take appropriate action. He also asked the BSA to cancel the notices and withdraw the fine threat. The BSA complied with the DM’s order and cancelled the notices.
The Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind welcomed the decision and thanked the Muzaffarnagar DM and the BSA for their cooperation. We respect the law and order of the state, but we would not tolerate any injustice or harassment to our institutions, said Jamiat. They also said that they would continue to work for the welfare and education of their community.
Also read: Madarasa Crackdown: UP Government Orders – “Either Shut Down, or Pay Rs 10,000 a Day”
