SC reserves verdict on minority status of Aligarh Muslim University

A seven-judge bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud heard the arguments put forth by the rival sides over eight days.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday reserved its judgment on a batch of petitions seeking minority status for the Aligarh Muslim University.

A Constitution bench of Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud and Justices Sanjiv Khanna, Surya Kant, J B Pardiwala, Dipankar Datta, Manoj Misra and Satish Chandra Sharma wrapped up the proceedings after eight days of marathon hearing.

Appearing for AMU, senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan made submissions regarding the Muslim representation in the management of AMU, including in its academic council.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal for AMU Old Boys Association submitted that it is not relevant to consider how many Muslims are on AMU's executive and academic bodies, while deciding the minority status of the institution.

He claimed that the secular structure of the country cannot be discarded by challenging the minority status of AMU.

“What kind of tests are we applying, never before in history...it has been done, numerical strength can never be an issue,” he claimed.

Sibal contended that it would be wrong to hold that Muslims or Christians have to run an institute for it to be deemed a minority institute.

"Should we apply a test that will destroy the entire minority educational structure in this country? That is why I said I have a right, not a duty to administer,” he said.

During the hearing, the bench observed that the 1981 amendment to the AMU Act (which restored its minority status after the 1967 Azeez Basha judgment) did not restore the position prevailing before the 1951 amendment Act (upheld in the Azeez Basha case).

"The (1981) amendment brought a Muslim voice into AMU but it stopped short of going back to the pre-1951 Act, or to the 1920 one,” the bench said.

The bench said that it is apparently a half-hearted job, even by the Parliament, as it had the power to do so.

Sibal said the founder of AMU and everybody else did not think of it in a statutory sense and they were very clear that government supervision may be there but no government control.

He further argued that claims regarding the founders that they were loyal to the Britishers did not dilute this aspect.

In February, 2019, the top court had referred to a seven-judge bench the contentious issue. A similar reference was also made in 1981. In 1967, a five-judge constitution bench in S Azeez Basha versus Union of India case held that since AMU was a central university, it cannot be considered a minority institution.

In 1981, its minority status was restored when Parliament passed the AMU (Amendment) Act in 1981. In January 2006, the Allahabad High Court struck down the provision of the 1981 law by which the university was accorded the minority status.

The Congress-led UPA government and AMU challenged the Allahabad High Court order. In 2016, the NDA government told the Supreme Court that it will withdraw the appeal filed by the previous government.