Dhaka: The High Court on Tuesday rejected a writ petition challenging a government direction seeking the educational institutes including madrassas to hold national anthem competition in the institutes.

A bench of Justice Syed Mohammad Dastagir Hossain and Justice Mohammad Ataur Rahman passed the order.

Earlier on January 18, Cabinet Division issued a circular asking all the educational institutions including the madrassa of the country to hold national anthem competition to encourage the practice and singing of national anthem correctly.

Last week, Nurul Islam Mia, principal of Sukhdev Fazil Madrassa in Kurigram and two students of Kadamtala Madrassa in Dhaka filed a writ petition with the High Court against the government circular.

The writ petition claimed that the madrassas runs by the Islamic law (Sharia) which doesn’t approve national anthem competition.