Uttarakhand Wednesday became the first state in the country to abolish its statutory Madrasa Board, replacing it with a Minority Education Authority that will regulate educational institutions run by all six notified minority communities.
Under the new arrangement, educational institutions of all six notified minority communities, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Parsis, Jains, and Buddhists, would come under the category of minority educational institutions. The Uttarakhand State Authority for Minority Education (USAME), established under the Minority Education Act, 2025, was inaugurated by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, Wednesday.
Prior to this, madrasas were governed by the Madrasa Education Board Act, 2016, and the Uttarakhand Non-Government Arabic and Persian Madrasa Recognition Rules, 2019. This legislation stands repealed, as of Wednesday and has been replaced by the Minority Education Act, 2025, and Uttarakhand Minority Educational Institutions Recognition Rules 2026. The state currently has 452 registered madrasas, which were previously recognised by the Madrasa Board.
The Act was passed in August 2025 following the government’s crackdown on madrasas for allegedly failing to seek recognition from the government. The government had sealed more than 200 madrasas in the drive, after which a special committee was formed to draft an act to overhaul the educational system.
The chief minister Wednesday distributed recognition certificates to minority educational institutions and presented National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) textbooks to students of minority schools, saying that the initiative towards quality and modern education would provide a strong foundation for their future.
The newly instituted Authority has 12 members, including professors of economics, psychology, law, and a retired English teacher from Kumaun University, to design an academic curriculum for the students in the minority institutions. Two social workers and the Director of Higher Education, the Director of the State Council of Educational Research, and the Director of Minority Welfare are also members of the Authority.
The chief minister said this was not merely the creation of another institution but a decision that would lay a strong foundation for the bright future of every child in the state. The government’s goal, he said, is to ensure equal opportunities for every child and enable them to progress through modern education, technology and skill development.
“The establishment of the Minority Education Authority is not intended to affect the identity or traditions of any community, but to provide better educational opportunities to all sections of society. The government’s effort is to ensure that children remain connected to their cultural roots while becoming proficient in science, mathematics, computers, skill development and modern education,” he said.
The application process
According to the secretary of the minority welfare department, Parag Madhukar Dhakate, under the new framework, all such institutions must complete a two-stage process — obtain formal affiliation from the Uttarakhand Board of Education and seek recognition from USAME under the new rules.
The application process has been moved online, making it mandatory for the institutions to apply through a designated government portal. They will be asked to submit the required documents and fees online. Each recognition will remain valid for three academic years, and renewal applications must be submitted at least three months before the expiry of the current recognition, officials said. “Applications will be reviewed based on the institution’s minority character, land ownership, financial standing, staff qualifications, and demonstrated commitment to maintaining communal harmony,” a communication from the department said.
The authority will review all applications and may conduct physical inspections where necessary, as an earlier communication had said. “Provisions have also been made for revoking recognition in cases of rule violations, with due opportunity for a hearing before any such action is taken,” the communication said.
How the law was framed
The Act was drafted by the Strategic Advisory Committee on Innovation and Effective Implementation, constituted in June 2025 to provide “recommendations for improving the structure and design of schemes and projects being implemented at the government level”. It has Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami as its chairperson and chief secretary, principal secretary, planning, two retired civil service officers, the CEO of SETU Aayog (replacing the state planning commission) and former chief secretary of the state, Shatrughan Singh and social activist Manu Gaur as its members. Singh and Gaur had earlier been part of the committee that framed rules for the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code.
At the Cabinet meeting when the Minority Education Act was passed, the preface to the Bill said: “Although Articles 29 and 30 of the Constitution of India grant minority communities the right to establish educational institutions of their choice, it is important to enact a law relating to minority education, keeping in view the welfare of minorities. Under this Act, an authority will be constituted which will have the powers and functions to grant recognition to educational institutions established by minority communities and to facilitate and promote academic excellence in such institutions, so that the educational development of children belonging to minority communities can be ensured”. The objective of the Bill, according to the cabinet note, was to protect all minority educational institutions within the state.
Why it matters
The move comes after more than a year following the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code, which again made the state the first in independent India to bring in the code.
The constitutional validity of minority educational institutions had earlier reached the Supreme Court, when the apex court in 2024 upheld the Uttar Pradesh Board of Madarsa Education Act 2004 as constitutional after it was held unconstitutional by the Allahabad High Court.
“The (UP) Madrasa Act regulates the standard of education in Madarsa as recognised by the Board for imparting Madarsa education….is consistent with the positive obligation of the state to ensure that students studying and recognised Madrasas attain a level of competency which will allow them to effectively participate in society and earn a living” and “Article 21A (of the Constitution) and the Right to Education (RTE) Act have to be read consistently with the right of religious and linguistic minorities to establish and administer education institutions of their choice,” the CJI said while reading out the verdict.
The court had said that “the right of religious minority to establish and administer to impart both religious and secular education is protected by Article 30” and “the Board and the state government have sufficient regulatory powers to prescribe and regulate standards of education for the Madrasas.” The court said that “while the Madrasas do impact religious instruction, their primary aim is education.”
At the same time, the court had also held that the right of minorities to administer educational institutions is not absolute and the state has an interest in maintaining the standards of education in minority educational institutions and may impose regulation as a condition for grant of aid or recognition. “The constitutional scheme allows the state to strike a balance between the two objectives of…ensuring the standard of excellence of minority education institutions, and…preserving the right of the minority to establish and administer its education institutions.”
Prior to this, madrasas were governed by the Madrasa Education Board Act, 2016, and the Uttarakhand Non-Government Arabic and Persian Madrasa Recognition Rules, 2019. (File Photo) 
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