Aligarh Muslim University : In News
The Supreme Court recently overruled its 1967 judgement about the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) that became the basis for denying the minority status to the institute.
- It is a government-run education institution situated in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh.
- It was originally established by social reformer Sir Syed Ahmad Khan as the Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College in 1875.
Minority Status of AMU:
- In 1967, a five-judge Constitution bench in the Azeez Basha vs. Union of India case held that since AMU was a central university, it could not be considered a minority institution.
- AMU got back its minority status 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 AMU was accorded the minority status.
- Later, appeals were filed in the Supreme Court challenging the high court verdict.
- On January 9, 2024, a seven-judge bench of the Supreme Court commenced hearing arguments on the vexed question of minority status of AMU.
- It overruled judgement in the 1967 Azeez Basha case and also said that a new bench would decide on the minority status of the AMU.
- The judgement underlined the importance of identifying the university’s actual point of origin-its genesis-to establish its minority status.
