New Delhi: Aligarh Muslim University doesn’t seem to implement reservation policy in the university like other central universities do as stated by the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC).
The NCSC has written to the HRD ministry questioning why does the government continue to fund this varsity who violates the reservation policy, New Indian express reported.
Year-wise details of the funds released by the government to AMU, from the time of the varsity’s establishment were sought by the Commission.
The NCSC chairman is reported to have met with officials of University Grants Commission (UGC) and the HRD Ministry on July 2.
Now the Ministry has withdrawn its support for the university’s minority status and approached the Apex Court on June 30, 2016 stating AMU was never intended to be a minority university.
The NCSC in its letter dated 6 July stated: “If no reservation was being granted by AMU, (what was the) reason for the release of the annual maintenance to AMU by MHRD.”
The controversy over the university’s minority status came to light after the Uttar Pradesh SC/ST Commission had sent an official notice to AMU asking why the university is violating reservation policies despite receiving funds from the Union government and making faculty appointments as a national university.
Unless AMU proves its minority status it will be ordered to implement reservation rules applicable to all minorities including SC/STs said NCSC.
According to NCSC chairman Ram Shankar Katheria, AMU has close to 30,000 students and 15 per cent of these seats should have gone to SC students and 7.5 per cent to STs but that is not the case looking at admissions.
“If AMU fails to provide the documents, it will have to admit 4,500 Dalit students and 2,250 tribal students,” Katheria confirmed.
The university authorities in reply cited the 1981 amendment to the AMU Act opposing the centre’s stand in which Section 2 (1) of the law was changed to define university as “The educational institution of their choice established by the Muslims of India, which originated as the Mohammedan Anglo Oriental College, Aligarh, and which was subsequently incorporated as AMU.”
On the basis of this amendment act the UPA-I government in 2007 on March 17 has written to HRD ministry stating AMU is recognised as a religious minority institution thereon.