AMU to fight legal battle for its status: VC

dubai — Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), one of the oldest and leading educational institutions in India, is ready for a legal battle to defend its ‘minority’ status, said the university’s Vice-Chancellor Lt Gen (Retd) Zameer uddin Shah.

Speaking at the Sir Syed Memorial Lecture, organised by the AMU Alumni at the Consulate General of India in Dubai recently, Shah said: “The name Aligarh Muslim University was chosen to convey to the Muslims that this institution was theirs and it will uphold their values and right to education.”

However, he added that the university doesn’t grant seats on the grounds of religion. “We only grant admissions on merit and follow no religious preferences,” he said.

The government in January had said that AMU and Jamia Millia Islamia are not minority educational institutions. Shah was earlier quoted as saying that the minority character of the university was a matter of life and death.

“The status concerns the educa- tion and advancement of the socially and economically backward section of Indian society, Muslims. The government has retracted from its earlier stand. We will fight our cause in court,” he said.

Shah said: “AMU is prepared to fight a legal battle against any attempt to change its ‘minority status’. I have not lost any battle in my life and we are confident and have full faith in the judiciary system”.

The Constitution of India, as stated in Article 30(1), gives all religious and linguistic minorities the right to set up and manage educational institutions, ranging from schools to universities.

Sir Syed Ahmad Khan founded Mohammedan Anglo Oriental College in Aligarh, a city in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, in 1875 with the aim of promoting social, scientific, and economic development of Indian Muslims.

In 1920, the college was transformed into Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) through an act by the Indian Legislative Council and all assets of the college were transferred to it.