Court allows Shopian school sealed under UAPA to resume classes

A local court on Thursday allowed the resumption of academic activities at Darul Uloom Jamia Siraj-ul-Uloom, a seminary-cum-school in south Kashmir's Shopian that was sealed under the UAPA in April this year. Principal and Sessions Judge Mehmood Ahmad Chowdhary granted interim relief until the main case is decided, and directed an oversight committee with Education department, administration and civil society members. The institution had 814 students and 102 staff. The sealing order cited alleged links with banned Jamaat-e-Islami and financial irregularities.

Written by AI from The Hindu — National · not yet reviewed by an editor · Published 25 Sept 2026, 3:08 am IST

Source

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Desk check · compared with the source

What the desk checked (5)

A Shopian court on September 24, 2026 permitted reopening of Darul Uloom Jamia Siraj-ul-Uloom, sealed under UAPA in April 2026 — Attributed in source to an order by Principal and Sessions Judge Mehmood Ahmad Chowdhary; date appears in source
The court directed formation of an oversight committee with members from the Education department, administration and local civil society — Stated in source as part of the court's direction; no order text quoted beyond this
The school had 814 students enrolled and 102 staff members — Figures appear in source without explicit attribution; counsel separately refers to 400 students living on campus
The sealing order cited alleged links with banned organisation Jamaat-e-Islami, financial irregularities and misuse of premises — Attributed to an official order by Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Anshul Garg under Section 8(1); allegations remain unadjudicated
Relief is interim, valid until the main case is decided — Attributed to Advocate S. M. Iqbal, counsel for the school

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Analysts’ view opinion

AI Political Analyst

This is a judicial order with almost entirely political consequences. The court has not struck down the administration's UAPA action, but by setting it aside on an interim basis and reopening classes for 814 students, it hands Valley-based parties a ready-made argument that security measures are hitting ordinary people. By seating the Education department, the administration and local civil society on one oversight committee, the judge has chosen a middle path — neither shutting the institution down nor waving away the allegations.

Because the sealing came via the Divisional Commissioner and District Magistrate, interim relief from the court is a politically awkward signal for the administration.
Coming after students took to the streets demanding reopening, the order suggests local pressure can produce results — a message with its own political momentum.
Regional parties in the Valley are likely to frame this as a right-to-education issue, while the security case for the original sealing remains intact given the seriousness of the alleged links.
Including a civil society member on the oversight panel dilutes sole administrative control and can be read as acknowledging a local trust deficit.
With the main case still undecided, both sides can plausibly claim vindication for now.

What to watch — Watch whether the administration appeals to a higher court, how quickly the oversight committee is constituted, and whether Valley parties widen this into a broader debate on how UAPA is applied.

The order does not establish whether the alleged Jamaat-e-Islami links or financial irregularities are true, and the story carries no official government response to the ruling.

Deep dive

Research brief · 8 facts · 4 dates · exam-ready

The brief

Context

Darul Uloom Jamia Siraj-ul-Uloom, a seminary-cum-school in Shopian district of south Kashmir and considered one of the largest such institutions in the region, was sealed in April 2026 under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The sealing order by the Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, cited alleged links with the banned Jamaat-e-Islami, financial irregularities and possible misuse of the premises. The institution, with 814 students and 102 staff, moved court after students protested for reopening. On September 24, 2026, the Principal and Sessions Judge, Shopian, allowed academic activities to resume as interim relief until the main case is decided.

Key facts

A local court in Shopian on September 24, 2026 allowed resumption of academic activities at Darul Uloom Jamia Siraj-ul-Uloom, sealed under UAPA in April 2026.
The order was passed by Mehmood Ahmad Chowdhary, Principal and Sessions Judge, Shopian, permitting reopening "until the matter is fully adjudicated".
The seminary had 814 students enrolled and 102 staff members; around 400 students live on the campus.
The court directed formation of an oversight committee with a member each from the Education department, the administration and local civil society.
The sealing order was issued by Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Anshul Garg, under Section 8(1) of the UAPA.
The order cited alleged links with the banned organisation Jamaat-e-Islami, financial irregularities and concerns over misuse of the institution's premises.
The District Magistrate, Shopian, subsequently invoked Section 8(4) of the UAPA to bar entry into the notified place, after which the building was sealed.
Advocate S. M. Iqbal, for the school, said there is no record of any student, staff or administration member being involved in anything.

Timeline

April 2026Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Anshul Garg, orders action under Section 8(1) of UAPA citing alleged Jamaat-e-Islami links and financial irregularities.
After the Section 8(1) order (date not stated in the source)District Magistrate, Shopian, invokes Section 8(4) of UAPA barring entry into the notified place; the building is sealed.
Before the court order (date not stated in the source)Students of the sealed seminary-cum-school protest on the streets in Shopian demanding reopening.
September 24, 2026Principal and Sessions Judge, Shopian, permits reopening and resumption of educational activities as interim relief and orders an oversight committee.

Who has a stake

814 students and 102 staff of Darul Uloom Jamia Siraj-ul-Uloom — Continuity of education and livelihood; about 400 students reside on campus and were displaced by the sealing.
Court of the Principal and Sessions Judge, Shopian — Balancing security-based executive action under UAPA against the right to continue education pending adjudication.
Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir (Anshul Garg) and District Magistrate, Shopian — Defending the Section 8(1) and 8(4) UAPA orders on alleged banned-organisation links, financial irregularities and misuse of premises.
Proposed oversight committee (Education department, administration, local civil society) — Monitoring the institution's functioning during the interim period.
The school management and its counsel, Advocate S. M. Iqbal — Reversing the sealing of the institution and its assets and clearing the institution of allegations.

Why it matters

The case shows how anti-terror powers used to seal property can directly disrupt schooling for hundreds of students, raising the question of proportionality between security action and educational rights. The court's interim route — reopening under a multi-stakeholder oversight committee rather than a full shutdown — offers a template for balancing the two while the main case is heard.

UPSC angle

Prelims pointers

UAPA Section 8(1): empowers notification of a place used for unlawful activities of a banned organisation; Section 8(4) allows barring entry into the notified place.
Darul Uloom Jamia Siraj-ul-Uloom, Shopian (south Kashmir) — sealed April 2026; 814 students, 102 staff.
Sealing order issued by Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Anshul Garg; entry barred by District Magistrate, Shopian.
Jamaat-e-Islami is referred to in the source as a banned organisation.
Interim relief granted on September 24, 2026 by Principal and Sessions Judge, Shopian, Mehmood Ahmad Chowdhary.
Court-mandated oversight committee: Education department + administration + local civil society.

Mains framing

The Shopian seminary case illustrates the tension between preventive security powers and socio-economic rights. The executive acted under Sections 8(1) and 8(4) of the UAPA on grounds of alleged association with a banned organisation, financial irregularities and misuse of premises — powers aimed at places rather than persons, with the practical effect of shutting down a functioning institution of 814 students and 102 staff, roughly 400 of them resident on campus. The collateral cost fell on students and teachers against whom, the petitioners argued, no allegation existed, prompting street protests and litigation. The judicial response was calibrated: instead of either endorsing indefinite closure or quashing the order, the court granted interim relief to resume classes pending adjudication, and inserted an oversight mechanism drawing on the Education department, the district administration and local civil society. The way forward suggested by the order is institutional continuity with transparency — allowing education to continue under monitoring while allegations of financial irregularity and organisational links are tested on evidence, so that security action remains proportionate and does not become a de facto punishment of uninvolved beneficiaries.

Key terms

UAPA (Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act): Central anti-terror law; Section 8(1) allows notifying a place used for unlawful activities and Section 8(4) allows barring entry to it.
Interim relief: Temporary court order granting partial remedy — here, reopening the school — until the main case is finally decided.
Divisional Commissioner: Senior state/UT officer heading a revenue division; here the Kashmir Divisional Commissioner issued the Section 8(1) order.
District Magistrate: District administrative head; in this case invoked Section 8(4) of UAPA to bar entry into the notified premises.
Jamaat-e-Islami: Organisation described in the source as banned, with which the seminary was alleged to have links.
Oversight committee: Court-directed body of Education department, administration and civil society members to monitor the school's functioning.

Practice questions

Critically examine the use of Section 8 of the UAPA to seal educational premises. How can such executive action be reconciled with the right to education?
Discuss the role of courts in granting interim relief in cases involving national security legislation, using the Shopian seminary case as an illustration.
Do court-mandated oversight committees involving the administration and civil society offer a workable middle path between shutting down and unconditionally reopening notified institutions? Argue with reference to this case.

Grounded only in the source report — figures and dates are the source's, not inferred.

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