The court ruled that the restrictions imposed by Dhaka University's seven main departments - including journalism, English literature and economics - contravene the country's basic human rights laws.

'It's a landmark judgement,' said lawyer Abdur Razzak, who represented a group of frustrated madrassa students.

'The judges said the restrictions go against the law of the land and all university rules.'

The seven Dhaka University departments banned madrassa students in September last year, arguing the 100,000 students who graduate from the country's religious seminaries each year were not sufficiently competent in Bengali and English.

Some top academics have also accused madrassa students of spreading militancy on campus.

Bangladesh has nearly 10,000 government-recognised seminaries providing education for more than 2.9 million - mostly poor - students, according to official figures.

The Madrassa Education Board estimates that a further two million students attend unrecognised religious schools. -- AFP