The Chhattisgarh High Court on Thursday clarified that no student can be compelled to recite Hindu prayers in a government school, Bar and Bench reported.

It was hearing a petition challenging a June 12 order by the Bharatiya Janata Party government directing state-run schools to mandate that prayers such as the Saraswati Vandana and the Gayatri Mantra be recited daily from the new academic session.

The court noted the state government’s submission that although the circular was issued in June, it had not yet been implemented.

In view of this, the court disposed of the petition while granting the petitioners liberty to approach it again if any child is compelled to recite the prayers. It added that appropriate action would be taken if such a case is brought to its notice.

The June 12 circular had directed government schools in Chhattisgarh to follow a structured daily routine centred on “intellectual development and cultural awareness”, The New Indian Express reported.

The circular mandated the recital of the national anthem, the national song, the Deep Mantra, the Saraswati Vandana and the Guru Mantra during morning assembly. It also ordered that the Bhojan Mantra be recited before mid-day meals, and the Gayatri Mantra and Shanti Mantra before the students leave the school.

Chhattisgarh Waqf Board Chairperson Abdul Salam Rizvi, former Minority...

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