Chhattisgarh High Court Dismisses Plea Against Mandatory ‘Gayatri Mantra’ in State Schools, Rules ‘Moral Instruction’ Permissible
The bench of Justice Amitendra Kishore Prasad noted that “Furthermore, the expression ‘religious instruction’ used in Article 28 (1) has a restricted meaning.
Raipur: The Chhattisgarh high court has dismissed a plea seeking a directive to the Vishnu Deo Sai government to stop implementing its June 12 order, making it mandatory for the students in state-run schools to recite Hindu religious hymns such as ‘Gayatri Mantra’, noting that there is no provision in the Constitution to ban moral instruction.
The bench of Justice Amitendra Kishore Prasad noted that “Furthermore, the expression ‘religious instruction’ used in Article 28 (1) has a restricted meaning. It signifies that the teaching of religious customs, rituals, practices and modes of worship is strictly prohibited in educational institutions wholly maintained out of state funds. However, a plain reading of Clause (1) of Article 28 makes it clear that the provision does not ban moral instruction, dissociated from any denominational doctrines, maintenance of law and order in the state and growth of social cohesion”, while rejecting the petition filed to challenge the government order in this regard.
The court called the petition, filed by the former chairman of the Chhattisgarh State Waqf Board Abdul Salam Rizvi and two others, ‘entirely premature’, based on mere apprehension rather than any actual grievance and at this stage, the relief sought by the petitioners cannot be granted, indicating that the order of the state government is yet to be implemented.
The bench however observed that liberty is reserved in favour of the petitioners to approach the court afresh by way of an appropriate petition, supported by cogent and relevant material, if any exigency arises in future.
The petitions challenging the government order contended that the direction violates Articles 14 (right to equality), 21 (protection of life and personal liberty), 25 (freedom of religion), 28 (1) (prohibiting religious instructions in educational institutions wholly funded by state), 29 (protecting the cultural and educational interests of minorities and citizens) and 30 (empowering religious and linguistic minorities to establish and own their own educational institutions).
The government order creates an impermissible situation wherein students from minority communities may feel compelled to participate in and recite religious practices that do not belong to their faith, the petition said.
The government counsel however called the petition “politically motivated” and argued that the order involves neither religious instruction nor conversion.
It is in perfect alignment with the National Education Policy, 2020, mandating the integration of Indian Knowledge System (IKS) to foster cultural awareness, the state argued.
“The terms ‘compulsory’ and ‘ensure’ in the Government Order dated 12.6.2026 relate strictly to internal school administration and discipline and do not entail any form of coercion”, the state noted.
The June 12 order of the Chhattisgarh government fixed a routine of singing Hindu religious hymns and Sanskrit slokas such as ‘Gayatri Mantra and Saraswati Vandana’, besides the National Anthem and National Song thrice a day by the students in the state-funded schools to cultivate self-discipline and moral values in them.