The Telangana and Andhra Pradesh governments allowed Muslim employees to leave work an hour early during Ramzan. Andhra Pradesh's TDP-led NDA government implemented this from 2 March to 30 March
Published Mar 08, 2025 | 8:18 PM ⚊ Updated Mar 08, 2025 | 8:18 PM
Waqf Act Amendment
Synopsis: The Supreme Court on Friday, 7 March, declined to hear a plea challenging the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana governments’ decisions to allow Muslim employees to leave offices an hour early during Ramzan. The court directed the petitioner to approach the respective high courts. Both state governments had issued circulars permitting early departures for Muslim employees during the holy month of Ramzan
The Supreme Court on Friday, 7 March, declined to hear a plea challenging the decisions of the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana governments, which allowed Muslim employees to leave offices an hour early during the holy month of Ramzan.
According to Bar and Bench, a bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar directed the petitioner, represented by senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, to approach the respective high courts with the grievance.
Sankaranarayanan had challenged the circulars issued by both state governments permitting early office departures for Muslim employees during Ramzan.
When the bench expressed its disinclination to examine the petition, Sankaranarayanan withdrew the plea, requesting liberty to approach the high courts instead.
The bench granted this liberty, encouraging the petitioner to move forward with the matter under Article 226 of the Constitution.
Both the Telangana and Andhra Pradesh governments had issued circulars permitting Muslim employees to leave work an hour early during Ramzan.
In Andhra Pradesh, the TDP-led NDA government allowed Muslim employees to leave early from 2 March to 30 March, while Telangana had implemented a similar measure for the holy month.
The practice of allowing Muslim employees to leave early during Ramzan has been in place for several years but gained renewed attention on social media this year.
Memos from 2021, 2022, and 2023 confirmed the policy of permitting early departures for Muslim employees during the holy month. This year, Telangana’s government issued a memo on 15 February, allowing Muslim employees to leave at 4 pm between 2 March and 31 March, with the condition that they stay in case of emergencies.
The move, which follows a long-standing tradition, sparked criticism from BJP leaders, including MLA T Raja Singh and Amit Malviya, who accused the government of “appeasement” towards Muslims.
However, several sources, including senior journalists and news reports, confirmed that this practice dates back to before the state bifurcation, during the tenure of YS Rajashekhar Reddy.
(Edited by Ananya Rao)
