New Delhi. Today, a seven-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court will give its verdict on the petitions to restore the minority status of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU). This decision will decide whether AMU can get the status of a minority institution under Article 30 of the Constitution. After this decision, it will be clear what are the criteria for granting minority status to educational institutions and whether any institution established by parliamentary law can be entitled to this special status.
On this matter, the Central Government argued in the Supreme Court that it is not appropriate to give the status of minority institution to AMU. A bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, Chief Justice designate Sanjiv Khanna, Justice Surya Kant, Justice JB Pardiwala, Justice Dipankar Dutta, Justice Manoj Mishra, and Justice Satish Chandra Sharma heard the case. The bench had reserved the decision after an eight-day hearing in February.
Big news from Aligarh
Minority status issue of AMU
Allahabad HC had refused
Had refused to become a minority institution
AMU had filed an application against this in SC. #HighCourt #SupremeCourtofIndia #AligarhNews @shukladeepali15 pic.twitter.com/HPLYuLHCxx— Zee Uttar Pradesh Uttarakhand (@ZEEUPUK) November 8, 2024
The original petition was filed by the Registrar on behalf of AMU and senior advocates like Kapil Sibal, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Rajiv Dhawan and MR Shamshad presented arguments in its support. On the other hand, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, Neeraj Kishan Kaul and Rakesh Dwivedi presented their arguments in the court on behalf of the Central Government.
Why is this matter important?
Aligarh Muslim University was founded in 1875 by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan and is considered a major center of higher education for the Indian Muslim community. This decision may impact not only AMU but also other educational institutions which may approach the court for their minority status.