On May 11, 2026, the Supreme Court of India ruled that the government should determine whether schools providing religious instruction should be classified as charitable or religious entities. The court, led by Justice Dipankar Datta, stated that this issue falls under the Ministry of Education's jurisdiction, and thus, judicial intervention is not necessary at this time. The petition, filed by advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, contends that institutions imparting religious education should be covered under Article 26(a) of the Constitution, which protects the rights of religious denominations to establish educational institutions for religious and charitable purposes. This classification would subject such schools to regulations concerning public order, health, and morality. The petition further argues that these schools should not fall under the rights granted to minority communities to establish educational institutions as defined in Article 30(1). Concerns about the potential for unregulated institutions to compromise children's safety and education quality were also raised, emphasizing the need for a regulatory mechanism to oversee educational institutions catering to children up to 14 years old.