Is it a divine, sacrosanct university, a holy cow, prohibiting human intervention?
The administration of the Aligarh Muslim University has withdrawn its order, issued earlier this week, that asked the students residing in one of its women's hostels to wear "proper and decent-looking dresses, i.e. salwar kameez with dupatta, both in or outside the hostel".
Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi's stand that AMU is not a minority university reveals the anti-minority stand of the political party now in power, says Mohammad Sajjad, outlining the long history behind one of India's premier universities.
Will the Draft UGC Regulations 2025 undermine our universities? Unlikely, notes Professor Mohammad Sajjad, citing how AMU has utilised its exceptional autonomy.
Professor Mustafa should take some inspiration from the prime minister and start advocating for a Pasmanda or a woman, preferably from outside UP/Hyderabad, to be appointed vice chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University this time. That should be a fitting tribute to the vision of the prime minister.
These self-appointed well-wishers of AMU are basically for the control or police model of university governance. They have no faith whatsoever in the democratic functioning of the universities, observes Faizan Mustafa, former dean, Faculty of Law, and Registrar, Aligarh Muslim University.
The Central Bureau of Investigation is believed to have found that Aligarh Muslim University Vice-Chancellor P K Abdul Azis had committed financial impropriety and knowingly claimed allowances for which he was not entitled.
"Can a university itself be termed as a minority institution," the SC asked during the hearing of a plea seeking a direction to quash the appointment of AMU vice-chancellor Lt Gen (Retd) Zameeruddin Shah.
Gautam had written a letter to Shah on July 13 accusing him of trying to instigate students by issuing a statement in which he said that he forsees "trouble" if AMU is denied its minority tag.
The BJP has dropped C T Ravi, a leader from Karnataka, Dilip Saikia, a Lok Sabha MP from Assam, as its general secretaries, and Vinod Sonkar, Harish Dwivedi, both Lok Sabha MPs from Uttar Pradesh, and Sunil Deodhar as secretaries.
The Human Resource Development Ministry on Tuesday sought an explanation from the Aligarh Muslim University Vice Chancellor Zameer Uddin Shah over not allowing access to women undergraduates to the main library in the campus, with Minister Smriti Irani saying that it amounted to an 'insult to daughters'.
Whenever the history of India's National Law Schools is written, N R Madhava Menon's name will be deeply inscribed in it, says Mohammad Zeeshan Ahmad.
The Aligarh Muslim University on Tuesday found itself in the midst of a controversy over not allowing access to women undergraduates to the main library in the campus but the institution said it was due to space constraint and denied having a "sexist approach".
A row erupted on Friday over plans by the Bharatiya Janata Party to observe the birth anniversary of freedom fighter Raja Mahendra Pratap at the Aligarh Muslim University campus with its vice chancellor warning of a potential "communal conflagration" and the saffron party defending the move.
Leaders of the newly-elected Aligarh Muslim University Students' Union have taken umbrage at Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani's recent comments on the varsity and its Vice-Chancellor on the issue of women's rights.
'The majority community needs to accept that the Indian Muslim is peace loving, not communal and treat them accordingly.'
'AMU is a secular university with an Islamic ethos.' 'We do not discriminate on the basis of religion. Let me tell you Muslims do not need reservations. They need affirmative action in education.'
Mohammad Sajjad salutes the memory of Mushirul Hasan -- historian, thinker, academic, institution builder, -- who passed into the ages this week.
The NDA govt told SC that it would withdraw the appeal filed by the erstwhile UPA govt challenging the Allahabad HC verdict holding the AMU as non-minority institution.
"They call me the Class 10 vice-chancellor," he says as his thin lips flirt with a smile. You almost feel that the tall man of spare build is being facetious. And then you see that his deep set eyes are not twinkling. There is a sense of the combative in them.
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