Thursday, March 24, 2011

Minority status for Jamia - Court questions government

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday questioned the central
government on its decision to declare Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) a
minority institution.

The university was given the minority status by the National
Commission for Minority Educational Institutions (NCMEI).

A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justice Sanjiv Khanna said:
"Issue notice to human resources development ministry, the ministry of
minority affairs and others. They all will have to file their reply by
May 18."

The court was hearing a petition of Vijay Kumar Sharma, president of
NGO Yuva Bharti Samiti, alleging that "the Jamia Millia Islamia Act,
1988, incorporates and establishes the university and dissolves the
Jamia Millia Islamia Society, which was managing and running it, and
the NCMEI has no jurisdiction or authority to declare it a minority
institution".

The bench has also sought reply from the vice chancellor of the
university, the teachers' association and five others including the
students' union.

"The university is a central university of national importance and is
an alloy of secular Indian culture where members of all caste, creed
and religions have been benefited and cannot be conferred with the
status of minority institution," said the petition filed by advocates
Rakesh and Santosh Kumar.

"The act does not provide any special consideration for a person
belonging to a particular community and the posts of chief policy
making body (Anjuman)...are open to persons of all caste, creed and
religion with no special consideration to Muslims," the petition said.

The NCMEI headed by Justice M.S.A. Siddiqui had recently granted
"minority" status to the university which will enable it to reserve up
to 50 percent seats for Muslim students. IANS

No comments: