Minority-run educational institutions in BJP-ruled Uttarakhand, including madrasas, will now have to register with a new government body if they want to continue functioning from the 2026-27 academic session.
The Pushkar Singh Dhami government on Wednesday approved a proposal in the Assembly to set up the Uttarakhand State Minority Educational Authority, which will take over the role of the Uttarakhand Madarsa Education Board created by the Congress government in 2016.
The new Authority will have 12 members, with a person from a minority community as its president. The president could belong to any minority group—Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist, or Jain—but must have at least 15 years of teaching experience, including five years as a university professor. Other members will include representatives from various minority communities and a retired government officer of secretary rank. All members will be nominated by the state government.
According to the proposal, minority institutions will receive registration for three years at a time, which can be renewed later. Institutions must have their own land and conduct all transactions through bank accounts. The draft also says no institution will be allowed to force teachers or students to take part in religious activities.
Chief Minister Dhami’s government has often accused madrasas of receiving illegal foreign funding, spreading hatred, and encroaching on public land. In recent years, the state has closed down more than 50 madrasas, seized their properties, and even demolished some Islamic schools and shrines. Dhami has set July 1, 2026, as the deadline for minority institutions to submit their applications for registration. At present, 452 madrasas are registered with the existing board.
Former chief minister Harish Rawat strongly criticized the move. “I don’t know why Dhami hates madrasas,” he said. “He should know that the madrasas had also played a very important role in the freedom struggle.”
