New Delhi, Oct 22: The Supreme Court on Tuesday questioned the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) why was it concerned with madrasas after the child rights body said students of such institutions weren't able to pursue medical and engineering professions.

Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj made the remarks while reserving the verdict on petitions challenging the Allahabad High Court judgement.

The high court had declared the 2004 Uttar Pradesh law on madrasas as unconstitutional on the ground it violated the principles of secularism.

Senior advocate Swarupama Chaturvedi, representing the NCPCR, said madrasas cannot be seen as an alternative to mainstream education. Moreover, madrasa students will not have the opportunity to pursue careers in fields like navy, medical, engineering and other professions, added Chaturvedi.

"Has NCPCR issued any instructions, cutting across communities, that you will not take children into your religious institutions unless they are taught secular subjects?” asked the CJI.

The child rights body said it had no objection if madrasa education supplemented school education. But, it cannot be a substitute, the counsel for NCPCR said, adding the body had filed a report on the deficiencies of the madrasa system and written to states to inspect them.

The bench asked if the NCPCR had taken a similar stand against institutes of other religions and was aware there were religious instructions provided across India to young children by institutions of their respective religions.

NCPCR's stand, the counsel said, was that religious instructions should not be a substitute to mainstream education.

The top court, however, questioned, “So tell us, has the NCPCR issued a directive that across communities, that don't send children to any monasteries, pathshalas, etc.”

The apex court further asked the NCPCR if the latter had issued a directive saying children must be taught science, maths, when they are sent to these institutions.

“Why are you only concerned with madrasas? We would like to know if you have dealt with other institutes. Has NCPCR been even-handed in its treatment of all communities," asked the bench.

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Bengaluru, Oct 22: Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Tuesday took a dig at the Congress government in Karnataka for its handling of the rain situation, saying Bengaluru resembled Venice and not Singapore, which they had promised to transform it into.

As rains battered the country's IT hub for the third day, the the JD(S) second-in-command told reporters, “They (Congress) had said they would make turn Bengaluru into Singapore, but we are seeing Venice like situation where people move around in boats.”

He claimed that the issue is not just about water-logging in some parts of Bengaluru. For the past three years, people are forced to leave their homes and stay in hotels during rains.

Kumaraswamy alleged that no state minister has made a field visit. Also, no one in the government including Chief Minister Siddramaiah showed the courtesy to speak about the huge crop loss in various parts of Karnataka.

ALSO READ: Three killed, 13 workers trapped after under-construction building collapses in Bengaluru

The opposition BJP too slammed the state government for the potholes in the city.

“People are cursing the Congress government for not handling the potholes. Killer potholes rule in DCM D K Shivakumar’s Brand Bengaluru. Dear Bengaluru Development Minister Shivakumar, first you please solve the problem of Bengaluru,” the BJP Karnataka unit said in a post on ‘X’.

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