AMU minority status

The government has backed out of challenging an Allahabad High Court order denying the historic Aligarh Muslim University the minority status.

• The government has made it clear in the Supreme Court that the government is convinced that the 1967 Constitution Bench judgment, which had held that AMU was not “established” by Muslims, still held sway.

Background:

The Azeez Basha versus Union of India verdict of the Supreme Court had denied AMU protection under Article 30 of the Constitution. Article 30 provides minority communities the fundamental right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice. The verdict was criticised as AMU was not even a party to or heard in that case.

In 1981, Parliament restored the minority status to the university. But the Allahabad High Court in January 2006 struck down the provision of the AMU (Amendment) Act, 1981, according minority status to the university. This order was challenged in the Supreme Court by the UPA government.

For Essay on Minority Status to Universities Click here