Allahabad High Court Halts Probe into Madrassas: A Human Rights Tug of War

The Allahabad High Court has issued a stay order on an inquiry by the Economic Offences Wing against 558 aided madrassas in Uttar Pradesh. The probe was conducted following a complaint filed with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) alleging human rights violations.

A petition challenging the directions and inquiry was filed, calling for the quashing of NHRC's orders dated February 28, April 23, and June 11. The petition argues that the orders violate jurisdictional limits and procedural requirements as stipulated under Sections 12 and 36(2) of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993.

Justices Saral Srivastava and Amitabh Kumar Rai suspended the orders and scheduled the next hearing for November 17. The court directed all respondents to submit their replies within four weeks, pointing out the lack of specific dates in the complaint, a requirement for jurisdiction.

(With inputs from agencies.)