Students enrolled in Kamil (graduate-level) and Fazil (postgraduate-level) courses at madrassas across Uttar Pradesh are now exploring new academic options after the Supreme Court ruled that the state madrassa board’s authority to award these degrees contravened the UGC Act.
Around 32,000 students were enrolled in these courses across the state when the Supreme Court, on November 5 last year, deemed the degrees "unconstitutional," ruling that such degree-awarding authority lies only with universities regulated under the University Grants Commission (UGC) Act.
The ruling has forced a major shift for many. Saqlain Raza, a Fazil first-year student at Madarsa Jamia Farooquia in Varanasi who has already cleared his first-year exam, is now preparing to join Kashi Vidyapeeth for a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree.
"I have to think about my career. Given the situation, I will pursue BA, and later, MA," he told the media. Raza noted that while his Aalim (higher secondary) qualification makes him eligible for BA admission, the years he spent pursuing Kamil and Fazil would effectively go to waste.
Similar uncertainty plagues other students. Ghulam Masih, a Kamil first-year student from Madarsa Darul Uloom Faiz-ur-Rasool in Siddharthnagar, is also planning to enrol in BA and MA courses through a university. However, he holds out hope for a solution, noting that a case is pending in court seeking the affiliation of madrassa students with Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti Language University.
Others, like Mohammad Saad Nizami, who appeared for the Fazil first-year exam from Madarsa Taleemuddin in Mau district, feel trapped, saying his studies have come to a halt. "I took my exam in February 2024 and have already lost nearly one-and-a-half years. I request the government to resolve the situation created after the court order," he said, noting he has considered seeking work if academic avenues do not emerge.
Uttar Pradesh Minister of State for Minority Welfare Danish Azad Ansari assured that the government is working on a solution. "We will take a decision after examining all legal aspects," he said, while clarifying that teachers currently employed in aided madrassas on the basis of Kamil and Fazil degrees would not be affected.
The Teachers' Association Madaris-e-Arabia Uttar Pradesh has filed a petition in the Supreme Court, seeking the affiliation of madrassa students with Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti Language University to regularize their exams and degrees. The court, during a hearing on May 30, sought responses from the state government, the UGC, and the Uttar Pradesh Board of Madarsa Education.
However, Kunwar Basit Ali, president of the Bharatiya Janata Party minority morcha in Uttar Pradesh, opposed the idea of mid-session affiliation, arguing that madrassa curricula for Kamil and Fazil are not at par with university standards. "If affiliation is required, students should be admitted afresh into the university’s degree programmes," he said, adding he would raise the issue with the state minority welfare minister.
Madrassa teachers' association general secretary Diwan Sahab Zaman Khan warned that most madrassa students belong to economically weaker backgrounds and cannot afford high university fees if asked to enrol privately.
A senior official at the language university declined to comment, citing the issue's pending status before the Supreme Court.
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