‘Gift without conscience’: Chhattisgarh high court says students cannot be forced to recite Hindu prayers in schools

The Chhattisgarh High Court on Thursday said while hearing a petition against the state government’s notification issued on June 12, no child can be forced to recite Hindu prayers in government schools.Justice Amitendra Kishore Prasad was hearing petitions challenging the circular directing government schools to perform Saraswati Vandana, Gayatri Mantra, Guru Mantra and other Hindu prayers as part of daily activities in schools.During the hearing, the state government informed the court that although the notification had been issued in early June, it was yet to be implemented. Taking this observation into account, the Court disposed of the petition.However, the court allowed the petitioner to approach the court again if any child was found to be forced to attend prayers. It also stated that appropriate action would be taken if any such complaint is filed before the courts. Detailed order is pending.The petition was filed by former Chhattisgarh Waqf Board chairman Abdul Salam Rizvi, former minority ministry chairman Mahendra Chhabda and Bilaspur-based social activist Shafiq Ahmed. They questioned the constitutional validity of the School Education Department’s circular.As per the notification, government schools across the state have been asked to perform the national anthem, national anthem, deep mantra, Saraswati Vandana and Guru Mantra. It also instructs schools to read biographies of great personalities, recite Bojan Mantra during lunch and recite Gayatri Mantra and Shanti Mantra before school.The petitioners argued that the notification violated the constitutional principles of secularism and fundamental rights.“The compulsory inclusion of Saraswati Vandana, Gayatri Mantra, Guru Mantra and Shanti Mantra amounts to religious education and promotion of a particular religion in government schools. Therefore, the impugned order is unconstitutional,” Bar and Bench said, citing the petition.The complaint also argued that the notice did not protect students who did not want to participate in religious activities “The impugned order neither provides for an exemption mechanism nor guarantees freedom of conscience to students who may not wish to participate in such religious activities,” the statement read.The petition further claimed that the notification failed to maintain the religious neutrality of the state. “By prescribing the prayers and mantras associated with one religion while excluding all other religions, the state creates an impermissible preference and classification based on religion,” the petition states.It also held that the notification violated the secular character of public education. “The state’s actions effectively promote and institutionalize the religious practice of one faith in state-funded educational institutions, thereby violating constitutional guarantees,” the complaint adds.