Indian court says students cannot be forced to recite Hindu prayers
Judges protect students from compulsory Hindu prayers after BJP-ruled state ordered religious rituals in government school assemblies
NEW DELHI, India — A court in central India has clarified that no child can be compelled to recite Hindu prayers in government schools, reinforcing constitutional protections for religious freedom after a legal challenge to a state directive introducing Hindu religious rituals into public school assemblies.
The clarification came while the Chhattisgarh High Court was hearing a petition challenging a June 12 circular issued by the Chhattisgarh government’s School Education Department.
According to legal news outlet Live Law, the BJP government in the state informed the court that the directive had not yet been implemented, prompting the bench to dispose of the petition while allowing the challengers to return if any child is compelled to participate.
Justice Amitendra Kishore Prasad recorded the government’s assurance that the circular remained unenforced and observed that the court would take appropriate action if any instance of coercion was brought before it.
The disputed circular instructed government schools across the state to include several Hindu prayers and Vedic chants during daily assemblies, before midday meals and at the close of the school day.
Along with the national anthem and national song, students were directed to participate in prayers dedicated to the Hindu goddess Saraswati, recite the Gayatri Mantra and other Hindu religious invocations, and listen to biographies of prominent personalities.
The petition was filed by former Chhattisgarh Waqf Board chairman Abdul Salam Rizvi, former Minority Department chairman Mahendra Chhabda, and social activist Shafique Ahmed.
They argued that introducing Hindu prayers into state-run schools amounted to religious instruction, violating India’s constitutional commitment to secularism and the fundamental rights to equality, freedom of conscience and religious liberty.
The petitioners also contended that the directive failed to provide any exemption for students who did not wish to participate in religious observances, effectively compelling children from minority faiths and other backgrounds to take part in rituals associated with one religion.
They further argued that by prescribing prayers rooted in Hinduism while excluding practices from other faiths, the state had abandoned its constitutional obligation to remain religiously neutral in publicly funded educational institutions.
The ruling drew reactions from political leaders and rights advocates. Senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan welcomed the court’s clarification, while opposition parliamentarian Asaduddin Owaisi described the circular as another example of what he called Hindutva-driven cultural nationalism.
Earlier, the Association for Protection of Civil Rights had criticized the directive as unconstitutional, arguing that it blurred the line between cultural activities and religious observance in government schools.
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