AMU not minority varsity, why no quota: SC/ST panel

In the wake of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s recent statement asking for quota for SC/ST students in Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) and Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI), the UP SC/ST Commission issued notice to Aligarh Muslim University on Wednesday.

Asserting that AMU is not a minority institution, UP SC/ST Commission chairman Brij Lal asked the varsity to explain why it does not give reservation to SC/ST students.

“We have asked AMU as to why SC/ST students have not been given reservation. Under what circumstances it has been done,’’ Brij Lal said at a Press conference in Lucknow on Wednesday. The former DGP added, “It seems that AMU is not following constitutional responsibility and anything further can be said only after a reply from AMU.’’

Brij Lal stated the Supreme Court and various High Court directives have established that AMU is not a minority institution.

“The Supreme Court has not yet passed any order in which AMU was prevented from providing reservation to SC/STs. In the light of the SC and HC directives, it has been established that AMU is not a minority institution,” he said.

“The Commission will use its power and issue summons to them,” said Brij Lal, on being asked the future discourse of AMU if in case it did not reply within the time.

National SC Commission chairman and BJP MP Ramshankar Katheria on Tuesday had summoned AMU Vice-Chancellor in Aligarh. He said he has given a month’s time to AMU to furnish proof of its minority status and if the varsity failed to provide the documents and still did not introduce quota for SC/ST and OBCs then the Commission would urge the Centre to stop grants to the varsity.

In the absence of the AMU V-C, pro-VC Professor Tabassum Shahab explained the varsity’s stand to the commission. Shahab said under the AMU Act of 1981 passed by Parliament, the university was accorded minority status. “Minority institutions were barred from other constitutional reservations under Section 15(5),” she underlined.

The Pro-VC also stated that the matter of minority status of AMU was pending in the apex court. He said that AMU has not followed reservation policy for Muslims though internal students of institute get 50 per cent reservation without any discrimination of caste, creed or faith. The Professor said that AMU will reply on questions of the commission on reservation. While Commission chairman Katheria said that the present Governments has amended 1951, 1965 and 1971 University Acts and that as per information received from AMU, 12 per cent Scheduled Caste students got admission in the varsity and .7 per cent teachers and workers were employed by the institution.

Meanwhile, BJP MP from Aligarh Satish Kumar Gautam on July 3 wrote to Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) Vice-Chancellor Tariq Mansoor demanding reservation to SC and ST candidates.

Samajwadi Party spokesperson Sunil Sajan hit out at the BJP for raising the issue of reservation in AMU. “Why is the BJP realising the importance of quota to SC/ST and Backwards after four years? This is being done for political gains as elections are near. The anger against the Government is growing because no promise made to the people has been fulfilled,” Sajan said.