Kerala HC orders closure of a private school teaching the Quran to children

Court clarifies that imparting religious education is impermissible under the law

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) – The Kerala High Court has directed the shutdown of an educational institution that was imparting Quran and allied subjects to approximately 300 students without obtaining mandatory recognition from the State Government, holding that religious instruction in schools without governmental permission violates the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009.

⚖️ Kerala HC Order: The Kerala High Court has ordered the closure of a private school for teaching the Quran to children.

​🚫 The court emphasized that providing exclusive religious instruction in such a manner is inconsistent with the law. 📖

​#KeralaHighCourt #EducationLaw… pic.twitter.com/QaL0sOljSb

— Sanatan Prabhat (@SanatanPrabhat) February 9, 2026

Justice Harisankar V. Menon passed the order while hearing two connected writ petitions concerning Ma’din Knowledge Garden Public School, Punnayur, Thrissur District, which was operating as a preschool imparting religious education. The petitioners approached the Court alleging that the institution was being run without the requisite licence or recognition under the RTE Act. Based on their complaint, educational authorities conducted inspections and found that the school was operating without valid State recognition.

The court stated that

1. The school violated Section 18 of the Right to Education Act, 2009. It was found that the school was being operated without obtaining the mandatory recognition from the state government. The court emphasized that under the law, every school must obtain recognition from the state government.

2. The school management claimed that it had recognition from the National Institute of Open Schooling; however, the High Court clarified that recognition from this institution cannot be considered a substitute for the recognition required under the Right to Education Act.

3. The court further held that even after obtaining recognition under the Right to Education Act, no school can impart one-sided religious education of a single religion without special permission from the state government. For these reasons, the court concluded that the school was not being run legally and that ordering its closure would be appropriate.