Indian Court rules for Catholic Church, lets archdiocese administer its own schools
An Indian court has ruled that an Archdiocese has the right to administer schools, saying a recent attempt by the government to appoint staff was unconstitutional.
The Goa bench of the Mumbai High Court in India has ruled that the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman has the right to administer its own schools, saying a recent attempt by the Goa Directorate of Education to appoint staff in archdiocesan schools was unconstitutional.
“Our fundamental right to manage and administer our schools has been upheld,” Father Jesus Rodrigues, secretary of the Diocesan Society of Education (DSE) of Goa and Daman, said, according to UCA News.
The directorate, a governmental body, issued directives in 2024 requiring staff appointments at diocesan schools be authorized by the directorate, rather than the DSE chairman.
The archdiocese raised a legal challenge to the directives, arguing they prevented it from operating its 138 schools in accordance with the Indian Constitution.
State prosecutor Devidas Pangam argued before the court that the directives did not infringe on the rights of minorities and existed only to guarantee compliance with statutory requirements.
Religious minorities, including Catholics, are guaranteed several rights by the Constitution, such as the right to administer institutions for its members’ benefit.
The court ruled ts Oct. 3 that the Constitution “imposes no such limits or restraints [on the right of religious minorities to administer their own institutions], except to ensure quality education,” according to UCA News.
In the ruling, which was publicly released Oct. 8, the court said that while the Goa Directorate of Education can pass reasonable regulatory measures to maintain basic standards, it can’t infringe on religious minorities’ rights and the directives overstepped the government’s competence.
