Fri Nov 08 08:44:47 UTC 2024: ## Supreme Court to Decide Aligarh Muslim University’s Minority Status
**New Delhi:** The Supreme Court on Friday delivered a significant ruling in the matter of Aligarh Muslim University’s (AMU) minority status. A seven-judge constitutional bench overturned the 1967 Supreme Court judgment that declared AMU as a central university, negating its claim to minority status. However, the court has referred the petitions regarding the university’s minority status to a new bench for a final decision.
This decision comes after a long-standing debate regarding AMU’s minority status. In 1967, a five-judge bench had declared AMU as a central university, which meant it couldn’t be considered a minority institution. This verdict was challenged in 1981 when the Parliament passed an amendment granting AMU minority status.
However, the Allahabad High Court, in 2006, struck down this amendment, questioning the validity of AMU’s minority status. This led to the case reaching the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court’s latest ruling, delivered with a 4:3 majority, dismisses the 1967 judgment but leaves the validity of the 2006 Allahabad High Court judgment to be determined by the newly constituted bench.
AMU, established in 1875 as the “Mahomedan Anglo-Oriental College”, was later upgraded to a university in 1920. The future of the institution’s minority status will now be decided by the Supreme Court’s new bench.
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