Allahabad High Court declines to stay ATS probe into funding of over 4,000 madrassas in U.P.

The Allahabad High Court recently refused to interfere with an inquiry being conducted by the Uttar Pradesh Anti Terrorist Squad (UP-ATS) into the funding of more than 4,000 madrassas across the State, holding that the probe is only an inquiry and does not amount to coercive action.

Division Bench of Justice Neeraj Tiwari and Justice Vivek Saran on July 1, 2026, declined to entertain a petition challenging a December 9, 2025 state government order directing the ATS to conduct the inquiry.

The petitioners argued that similar inquiries had been conducted in the past on substantially the same allegations and had not uncovered any adverse material against them. They contended that the fresh inquiry had been initiated merely to harass the institutions and sought quashing of the government’s order.

Opposing the plea, Additional Advocate General Manish Goel submitted that the inquiry was not limited to the petitioning institutions but extended to over 4,000 madrassas across the State on the basis of inputs received from different sources. He argued that the exercise was only a fact-finding inquiry, did not involve any coercive measures, and that the institutions were free to submit their responses before the authorities.

Accepting the State’s submissions, the High Court observed that the mere conduct of an inquiry could not be treated as coercive action against the petitioners.

“Under such facts of the case, Court is of the firm view that conduct of inquiry cannot be said to be coercive action against the petitioners. Therefore, Court is not inclined to entertain this petition at this stage,” the Bench held.