Chhattisgarh HC rules govt schools cannot force Hindu prayers

Millat Times Desk

05 July 2026 (Publish: 10:00 AM IST)

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New Delhi, July 4: Chhattisgarh High Court ruled that no student studying in a government school can be compelled to recite Hindu prayers, while hearing a petition challenging a controversial circular issued by the state’s School Education Department on Thursday.

The order comes as the court addresses concerns over the inclusion of religious practices in government-run educational institutions.

The matter was heard by Justice Amitendra Kishore Prasad, who disposed of the petition after the state government informed the court that the disputed circular, issued on June 12, had not yet been implemented.

Former Chhattisgarh Waqf Board chairman Abdul Salam Rizvi, former Minority Department chairman Mahendra Chhabda, and Bilaspur-based social activist Shafique Ahmed filed the petition.

The petitioners challenged the circular’s constitutional validity, arguing that it directed government schools to include specific Hindu religious recitations during morning assemblies, raising concerns about religious freedom and the secular principles guaranteed under the Constitution, media reports said.

According to the circular, government schools were instructed to include the national anthem and the national song along with religious recitations such as the Deep Mantra, Saraswati Vandana, and Guru Mantra during morning assemblies. It also proposed reading biographies of eminent personalities, reciting the Bhojan Mantra before serving mid-day meals, and chanting the Gayatri Mantra and Shanti Mantra before students departed for home.

During the hearing, the state government assured the High Court that the circular had not been enforced in any government school. Taking note of this statement, the court disposed of the petition without examining the constitutional validity of the circular at this stage.

However, the High Court made it clear that no student can be forced to participate in the recitation of Hindu prayers in government schools. The court also granted liberty to the petitioners to approach it again in the future if any child is compelled or pressured to take part in such religious recitations, leaving the door open for further judicial intervention if the circular is implemented in a coercive manner.