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Religious Instruction in Educational Institutions Being Questioned

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8 years ago

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Religious Instruction in Educational Institutions Being Questioned

Imparting religious faith in students made news twice in two days. The first was on Tuesday and created a furore, with Shia Central Wakf Board chairman Wasim Rizvi urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi to shut down madrasas, saying that madrassas produce terrorists and should be merged into mainstream schools.

Then, on Wednesday, the Supreme Court issued notice to the Centre seeking its response to a public interest litigation (PIL) which alleged that school prayers in Kendriya Vidyalayas propagate Hinduism. The PIL questioned if public institutes could promote a particular religion and said the prayers should be discontinued since the schools are run by the government.

Noting that the issue is important, a bench of Justices RF Nariman and Navin Sinha issued notices to Centre and the Kendriya Vidyalaya management seeking a response.

The plea, filed by Madhya Pradesh resident Veenayak Shah, said that students irrespective of their faith and belief were asked to compulsorily recite a prayer based on Hindu religion at the morning assembly.

It also pleaded that the practise created obstacles in development scientific temperament among students. “Students as a result learn to develop an inclination towards seeking refuge from the almighty instead of developing a practical outcome towards the obstacles and hurdles faced in everyday life, and the spirit of enquiry and reform seems to be lost somewhere,” the plea said.

Moreover, said the petition, since the prayer is being enforced, the parents and children of the minority communities, atheists and others find the imposition constitutionally impermissible.

The petitioner also submitted that the common prayer is a “religious instruction” within the meaning of Article 28 of the Constitution and should therefore be prohibited. Article 28(1) of the Constitution says that no religious instruction shall be provided in any educational institution wholly maintained out of state funds.

“A perusal of the prayer shows that it is based on Hindu religion and it is very different both in substance and form from the prayers of the other religious/non-religious orientations mentioned above. The issue that arises therefore is whether the state may impose the above mentioned “common prayer” on students and teachers throughout the country,” the plea said as per PTI. Shah requested for a direction to discontinue the morning prayer in Kendriya Vidyalaya schools.

Earlier, on Tuesday, a row erupted over Shia Central Waqf Board writing to PM Narendra Modi urging him to shut down madrassas in the country, saying that the education imparted in these Islamic schools encouraged students to join terrorist ranks.

The Board, in its letter to PM Modi, said madrassas should be replaced by schools affiliated to the CBSE or the ICSE. It said the Islamic education should be made optional for the enrolled students.

The Board’s chairman Waseem Rizvi claimed that most of the madrasas are providing “misplaced and misconceived religious education”. Rizvi said in a tweet: “These schools should be affiliated to CBSE, ICSE, and allow non-Muslim students. Religious education should be made optional. I have written to the PM and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in this regard.”

“The madrasas are only producing unemployable Muslim youth, who have no option but to join terror groups. Madrasas have failed to improve literacy level among Muslims and time has come for us to do some introspection on this,” he said.

According to a Times of India report, Rizvi said, “In the last 70 years of independence, there are only a handful people who have studied at madrasas and have cleared civil services examinations. These too have however gained modern education after studying in madrasas. But the number of terrorists coming out of madrasas is much higher.”

Raising a finger at Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama, Rizvi said, “I surveyed madrassas and found that they had no standardised syllabus. Visit Nadwa and ask for the syllabus and you shall get none. What are they teaching young minds, no one knows.”

When contacted by ToI, UP Board of Madrassa Education registrar Rahul Gupta, countered Rizvi, saying, “In 15 years of my service, I have seen thousands of madrassas but never came across one where students were radicalised. Modern education is being imparted under the Central government’s scheme to provide quality education in madrassas.” Gupta said it was not compulsory for madrassas to register with the board.

All India Muslim Personal Law Board spokesman Khalilur Rehman Sajjad Nomani dismissed Rizvi’s allegations saying madrassas had played a key role in the freedom movement and by raising questions on these schools, Rizvi was insulting them.

However, BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said the BJP governments at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh had no plans to shut down the madrassas. He said BJP is focusing on working towards the modernisation of education imparted in these institutes.

AIMIM President and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi called Shia Central Waqf Board chairman Wasim Rizvi a ‘buffoon’ and an opportunist for claiming that Madrasas bred terrorists. Speaking to ANI, Owaisi added Rizvi had sold his soul to the RSS. “Wasim Rizvi is the biggest joker, an opportunist person. He has sold his soul to RSS. I challenge this buffoon to show one Shia or Sunni or Madrasa where such teachings are imparted. If he has proof then he should go and show it to the home minister,” he added.

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BJP releases first list of 47 candidates for Kerala assembly polls

The BJP has released its first list of 47 candidates for the Kerala Assembly elections scheduled for April 9, including three former Union ministers.

Published

11 hours ago

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March 16, 2026

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BJP releases list of candidates

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday released its first list of 47 candidates for the upcoming Kerala Assembly elections scheduled for April 9.

Voting will take place for all 140 seats in the state assembly, with counting of votes scheduled for May 4. A party or coalition needs at least 70 seats to secure a majority in the House.

Among the candidates announced in the first list are three former Union ministers — Rajeev Chandrasekhar, V. Muraleedharan and George Kurian.

Key candidates announced

Kerala BJP chief and former Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar has been fielded from the Nemom assembly constituency. In the 2024 Lok Sabha election, Chandrasekhar lost the Thiruvananthapuram seat to three-time MP Shashi Tharoor, but he led in the Nemom assembly segment during that contest. The party believes this performance strengthens its prospects in the constituency.

Nemom has held political significance for the BJP since 2016, when senior leader O. Rajagopal won the seat and became the party’s first-ever MLA in the 140-member Kerala Legislative Assembly. The victory marked the BJP’s initial breakthrough in the state assembly.

However, the seat returned to the Left camp in the 2021 Assembly election when V. Sivankutty defeated BJP leader Kummanam Rajasekharan.

Former Union minister V. Muraleedharan will contest from the Kazhakoottam constituency, while George Kurian has been nominated from Kanjirappally.

Other candidates in the list

According to the list released by the party, several other candidates have also been announced for key constituencies. P. C. George will contest from Poonjar, R. Sreelekha from Vattiyoorkavu and Padmaja Venugopal from Thrissur.

The BJP has also nominated Sobha Surendran from Palakkad, Navya Haridas from Kozhikode North and Kavitha K. S. from Sulthanbathery, a reserved constituency.

Raji Prasad will contest from the Kunnathur seat reserved for Scheduled Castes, while R. Rashmi has been fielded from Kottarakkara.

Political backdrop in Kerala

Kerala’s electoral politics has traditionally alternated between the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF). However, the BJP has been attempting to expand its presence in the state.

The alternating trend was interrupted in the 2021 Assembly election when the electorate returned the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government to power for a second consecutive term.

The BJP believes recent electoral performances and local body successes have strengthened its position as it prepares to contest the upcoming assembly polls.

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Fire in ICU at SCB medical college hospital in Cuttack kills 10 patients

Ten patients died after a fire broke out in the trauma ICU at SCB medical college hospital in Cuttack early Monday morning. Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced compensation and ordered a judicial probe.

Published

21 hours ago

on

March 16, 2026

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A major fire at the trauma care intensive care unit (ICU) of SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, Odisha, early Monday morning left ten patients dead and several hospital staff members injured.

According to officials, the fire broke out between 2:30 am and 3:00 am in the trauma ICU where critically ill patients were undergoing treatment. Emergency teams rushed to the scene soon after the incident, and multiple fire engines were deployed to control the blaze and assist in rescue operations.

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said hospital staff were injured while evacuating patients from the affected ward during the emergency.

Patients shifted as rescue operations continued

Following the fire, 23 patients were moved to other departments and wards within the hospital to ensure their safety and continued medical care.

Speaking to reporters, the Chief Minister said seven critically ill patients died while being shifted to other ICUs and wards, while three more succumbed later.

“A total of 23 patients have been shifted to other departments. Seven serious patients died while shifting to other ICUs and wards, while another three patients died later. I have directed the concerned officers for proper treatment of the injured patients,” Majhi said.

Chief minister visits hospital, announces compensation

Soon after the incident, Majhi visited the hospital along with Odisha Health Minister Mukesh Mahaling to review the situation. They also met patients who were undergoing treatment at the facility.

The Chief Minister announced financial assistance of ₹25 lakh for the families of each deceased patient.

He also ordered a judicial probe into the incident to determine the cause of the fire and examine safety measures at the hospital.

Authorities continue to monitor the condition of injured staff members and patients who were shifted from the ICU.

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Arvind Kejriwal moves Supreme Court against Delhi High Court order in excise policy case

Arvind Kejriwal has approached the Supreme Court challenging a Delhi High Court order related to proceedings in the excise policy case and alleging violation of his fundamental rights.

Published

21 hours ago

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March 16, 2026

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Arvind Kejriwal

Aam Aadmi Party chief and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has approached the Supreme Court of India challenging certain proceedings in the Delhi excise policy case and alleging a violation of his fundamental rights.

In a petition filed under Article 32 of the Constitution, Kejriwal has questioned a decision of the Delhi High Court that put a freeze on remarks related to the investigation conducted by the Central Bureau of Investigation.

The petition also challenges an order of the High Court Chief Justice rejecting Kejriwal’s request to transfer the case to another bench.

Plea seeks change of bench

Earlier, on March 11, Kejriwal and several others submitted a representation to Delhi High Court Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya seeking reassignment of the case to what they described as an “impartial” judge.

In the representation, Kejriwal stated that he had a “grave, bona fide and reasonable apprehension” that the matter may not receive an impartial hearing before the current bench.

However, the Chief Justice declined the request and said the petition had been assigned as per the existing roster.

According to the communication sent by the High Court’s Registrar General on March 13 to eight individuals including Kejriwal, the Chief Justice noted that any decision on recusal must be taken by the judge hearing the matter and that there was no reason to transfer the petition administratively.

Order on trial court proceedings also challenged

Kejriwal has also challenged a March 9 order passed by Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma of the Delhi High Court.

In that order, Justice Sharma had stayed a trial court direction that called for an investigation into a CBI officer who handled the excise policy case. The High Court had also asked the trial court to defer proceedings connected to the anti-money laundering aspect of the case.

Justice Sharma had further rejected certain observations made by the trial court while discharging Kejriwal and 22 others, stating that some of those remarks were erroneous.

Hearing expected on CBI plea

Meanwhile, Justice Sharma is scheduled to hear a petition filed by the CBI challenging the discharge of Kejriwal, former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and others in the excise policy case.

The matter remains under judicial consideration as the legal challenge now moves to the Supreme Court.

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