Supreme CourtPILchild educationreligious instructioneducation regulation
Supreme Court to Hear PIL on Regulation of All Child Education Institutions on May 11
Published: May 9, 2026
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The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on May 11 a public interest litigation seeking mandatory registration, recognition, and monitoring of all institutions imparting secular or religious education to children under the age of 14. A bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Satish Chandra Sharma will consider the plea filed by advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay through lawyer Ashwani Dubey.
The petition calls for directions to authorities to supervise all such institutions across India in accordance with Article 21A, read with Articles 39(f), 45, and 51-A(k), which pertain to the right to education and child welfare. It argues that Article 30, often cited to grant special rights to minority educational institutions, does not confer additional rights beyond those guaranteed under Article 19(1)(g) of the Constitution.
The petitioner alleged widespread operation of unregistered and unrecognised institutions, particularly along the Uttar Pradesh border, claiming they lack oversight and pose risks of child exploitation and ideological manipulation. The plea emphasizes the state's duty to protect children, describing them as vulnerable to brainwashing in unregulated environments, framing the issue as one of national security.
The court will take up the matter for hearing on May 11, with no interim orders currently in place.