Imposing practices like 'surya namaskar' on students of other religions against Constitution: Jamiat
New Delhi, Jul 5: Prominent Muslim organisation Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind on Friday denounced any attempt to "saffronise the education system" and said forcing of customs of one religion on students from other religions in schools such as the practice of "surya namaskar" was against the Constitution.
At its two-day governing council meeting that concluded on Friday, the Jamiat deliberated upon a range of issues, including Islamophobia, mob lynching, Muslim reservation, targeting of madrasas, uniform civil code (UCC) and the Israel-Palestine conflict.
The organisation vehemently denounced attempts to "saffronise the educational system, enforce a uniform civil code, and target Islamic madrasas", according to a statement.
The Jamiat fiercely opposed forcing one's religious customs and practices on students from other religions in schools, it said.
Jamiat chief Maulana Mahmood Madani, who presided over the meeting, emphasised that love and unity, not animosity, are needed for the country to prosper.
He denounced the rise in anti-Muslim propaganda and mob lynchings, the statement issued by the organisation said.
"In recent years, madrasas have been targeted under one pretext or another. The recent adverse actions and false statements made against madrasas and their Islamic scholars by certain BJP chief ministers and the NCPCR chief were observed with great concern at the meeting," the statement said.
In the resolution for "Necessary Measures for Protection and Safeguard of Islamic Madarsas", the governing council demanded that the government and authorities concerned act immediately to stop the "ongoing misinformation campaign against madrasas".
The meeting also urged madrasas to concentrate on internal reform and ensure the implementation of the suggestions made by the standing committee for the "protection of madrasas".
The statement said a resolution passed in the meeting denounced the "attempt by the Union and state governments to impose religiously incompatible practices on pupils and saffronise the education system".
Islam is based on the concept of monotheism, and no Muslim is allowed to accept the worship of deities other than Allah or take part in any actions that are symbolic of other faiths, the Jamiat said.
"Every citizen of this country is free to uphold their own religious practices and beliefs under the provisions of the Constitution. Therefore, it is an infringement on religious freedom and a violation of the Constitution when the government imposes mandatory directives on schoolchildren to conduct 'Surya Namaskar', 'Saraswati Puja', sing Hindu songs, ashlokas, or wear tilak," it said.
The Jamiat urged the government to desist from any such provocative actions, the statement said.
The governing council expressed concerns over attempts to implement the UCC, saying it was a front for "a larger plot to restrict people's freedom of religion and fundamental rights", it said.
On the issue of Muslim reservations, the resolution clarified that Article 16(4) of the Constitution mandates reservations for under-represented and marginalised groups.
It must be made clear that the country has never benefited from the use of religion as a justification for discriminating against anyone, the statement said.
Within the framework of the Constitution, special reservations for Muslims have been introduced in a number of states through proactive affirmative measures meant to lessen social and economic inequalities, the Jamiat said.
The governing council also warned that any attempt to repeal the Waqf Act would be seen as a plot to jeopardise both the rights of the Muslim minority and the country's well-being.
The resolution also denounced the war crimes committed by Israel in Gaza as well as its "aggression" against the Palestinian people.
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Single higher education regulator bill tabled in LS; Oppn flags ‘centralisation,' JPC likely
New Delhi: A bill to set up a 13-member body to regulate institutions of higher education was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Monday.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan introduced the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, which seeks to establish an overarching higher education commission along with three councils for regulation, accreditation, and ensuring academic standards for universities and higher education institutions in India.
Meanwhile, the move drew strong opposition, with members warning that it could weaken institutional autonomy and result in excessive centralisation of higher education in India.
The Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025, earlier known as the Higher Education Council of India (HECI) Bill, has been introduced in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
The proposed legislation seeks to merge three existing regulatory bodies, the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), into a single unified body called the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan.
At present, the UGC regulates non-technical higher education institutions, the AICTE oversees technical education, and the NCTE governs teacher education in India.
Under the proposed framework, the new commission will function through three separate councils responsible for regulation, accreditation, and the maintenance of academic standards across universities and higher education institutions in the country.
According to the Bill, the present challenges faced by higher educational institutions due to the multiplicity of regulators having non-harmonised regulatory approval protocols will be done away with.
The higher education commission, which will be headed by a chairperson appointed by the President of India, will cover all central universities and colleges under it, institutes of national importance functioning under the administrative purview of the Ministry of Education, including IITs, NITs, IISc, IISERs, IIMs, and IIITs.
At present, IITs and IIMs are not regulated by the University Grants Commission (UGC).
Government to refer bill to JPC; Oppn slams it
The government has expressed its willingness to refer it to a joint committee after several members of the Lok Sabha expressed strong opposition to the Bill, stating that they were not given time to study its provisions.
Responding to the opposition, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the government intends to refer the Bill to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for detailed examination.
Congress Lok Sabha MP Manish Tewari warned that the Bill could result in “excessive centralisation” of higher education. He argued that the proposed law violates the constitutional division of legislative powers between the Union and the states.
According to him, the Bill goes beyond setting academic standards and intrudes into areas such as administration, affiliation, and the establishment and closure of university campuses. These matters, he said, fall under Entry 25 of the Concurrent List and Entry 32 of the State List, which cover the incorporation and regulation of state universities.
Tewari further stated that the Bill suffers from “excessive delegation of legislative power” to the proposed commission. He pointed out that crucial aspects such as accreditation frameworks, degree-granting powers, penalties, institutional autonomy, and even the supersession of institutions are left to be decided through rules, regulations, and executive directions. He argued that this amounts to a violation of established constitutional principles governing delegated legislation.
Under the Bill, the regulatory council will have the power to impose heavy penalties on higher education institutions for violating provisions of the Act or related rules. Penalties range from ₹10 lakh to ₹75 lakh for repeated violations, while establishing an institution without approval from the commission or the state government could attract a fine of up to ₹2 crore.
Concerns were also raised by members from southern states over the Hindi nomenclature of the Bill. N.K. Premachandran, an MP from the Revolutionary Socialist Party representing Kollam in Kerala, said even the name of the Bill was difficult to pronounce.
He pointed out that under Article 348 of the Constitution, the text of any Bill introduced in Parliament must be in English unless Parliament decides otherwise.
DMK MP T.M. Selvaganapathy also criticised the government for naming laws and schemes only in Hindi. He said the Constitution clearly mandates that the nomenclature of a Bill should be in English so that citizens across the country can understand its intent.
Congress MP S. Jothimani from Tamil Nadu’s Karur constituency described the Bill as another attempt to impose Hindi and termed it “an attack on federalism.”
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