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New Delhi, October 23 (IANS) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Minority Morcha President Jamal Siddiqui has written a letter to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, urging him to stop the inclusion of Kamil and Fazil degree holders in the Legislative Council (MLC) graduate voter list. In his letter, Siddiqui described the process as “deeply concerning”, arguing that Kamil and Fazil degrees are part of the traditional madrassa education system and are not in line with the standards of modern university education. He also cited the Supreme Court judgment of November 5, 2024, which upheld the validity of the Uttar Pradesh Madrassa Education Board Act, 2004, but declared its higher education provisions, including the Kamil and Fazil degrees, unconstitutional. The court made it clear that these degrees, which were earlier considered equivalent to undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications, are in conflict with the University Grants Commission (UGC) Act, as the UGC alone regulates higher education standards. “As a result of the Supreme Court decision, these degrees are no longer valid,” Siddiqui said. He said that giving them equivalent recognition to university degrees for electoral purposes would weaken the legislative process. He also referred to Section 6(3) of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council Act, 1961, which states that candidates in graduate constituencies must have a graduate degree from a recognized university. He said, after the apex court’s decision, Kamil and Fazil courses no longer qualify as undergraduate degrees recognized by the UGC. On these grounds, Jamal Siddiqui has requested the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh to stop the ongoing process of including Kamil and Fazil degree holders in the MLC graduate voter list, in compliance with the November 5 judgment of the Supreme Court. –IANS Mr/PGH