The action follows reports submitted by district Minority Welfare Officers to the Uttarakhand State Authority for Minority Education, which began functioning on July 1 after replacing the Uttarakhand Madrasa Education Board. The authority has been tasked with recognising and supervising minority-run educational institutions under the state’s revised framework.
Authority chairman Surjeet Singh Gandhi said an investigation covering registered and unregistered madrasas was continuing under Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami’s directions. He said several institutions without recognition had also stopped functioning on their own after the administration began checking compliance with the new requirements.
The government has made recognition through the authority compulsory for minority educational institutions covered by the new system. Madrasas that continue teaching without obtaining the required approval and affiliation face closure or sealing by district administrations.
Haridwar accounts for nearly all of the 107 closures identified so far. District officials there submitted a status report to the authority after examining institutions operating within their jurisdiction. The authority was still awaiting reports from two districts when the latest tally was compiled, leaving open the possibility that the statewide figure could change as verification continues.
The regulatory overhaul followed the Uttarakhand Minority Educational Institutions Act, 2025, under which the former madrasa board was replaced by a single authority dealing with recognised minority communities. The new body covers institutions run by Muslim, Sikh, Christian, Jain, Buddhist and Parsi communities rather than maintaining a separate statutory mechanism for madrasas.
Under the system introduced from July, recognised madrasas are also required to align with the state’s school education structure. Institutions teaching Classes I to VIII must obtain affiliation through the district education authorities, while those offering education up to Class XII come under the Uttarakhand Board of School Education.
State Minority Welfare Minister Khajan Das said when the authority was launched that the change was intended to bring minority institutions under common academic and administrative standards while retaining their minority character. The government has also said academic and administrative information will be recorded through the Unified District Information System for Education.
Official figures issued at the launch of the authority showed 456 madrasas operating within the recognised system, while only a portion had submitted applications for recognition under the new arrangement by early July. Authorities subsequently began inspections and enforcement against institutions that had not produced the required documents or applied under the revised rules.
Separate enforcement action has been reported in Dehradun, Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar districts. Earlier this month, authorities sealed several madrasas in Bazpur after their managements failed to produce recognition papers and other documents during inspections. Officials have said the exercise is aimed at identifying institutions operating outside the prescribed regulatory framework.
The administration has also directed district officials to ensure that students affected by closures are moved, where necessary, to nearby government schools or recognised madrasas so that their education is not interrupted. Minority Welfare officials have said applications from institutions seeking recognition will be examined against the prescribed standards.
The change in regulation has drawn attention because Uttarakhand previously had a dedicated madrasa board that recognised institutions and administered courses including primary, junior high school, Munshi-Maulvi and Aalim levels. That structure ceased to operate when the new authority took effect.
Gandhi said the scrutiny would continue until institutions functioning without the required recognition were identified. He said the government’s instructions covered both madrasas formerly registered with the defunct board and institutions that had operated without the knowledge or approval of the previous regulatory bodies.
The Minority Welfare Department has long administered schemes aimed at improving educational access among minority communities, including programmes supporting modern subjects in madrasas. Under the new arrangement, eligibility for government benefits is linked more closely to compliance with recognition, academic and administrative requirements.
