NEW DELHI — Congress leader Rashid Alvi criticised the Supreme Court’s handling of the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) minority status issue, saying its approach “is not the way justice should work”, as he expressed his disappointment that the decision was referred to a three-judge bench instead of being finally resolved by the larger seven-judge bench.
Reflecting on the court’s latest stance, the Congress leader expressed concerns about the prolonged delay. “The Supreme Court revisited an issue that has remained unresolved for 55 years since the status was removed in 1967. Referring it to a smaller bench means we could wait another 50 years for a resolution. This is not the way justice should work, a final verdict by a seven-judge bench would have been preferable,” Alvi told IANS.
The recent decision by the Supreme Court bench, led by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, overruled the previous 1967 Azeez Basha case judgement, which had long been used to deny AMU its minority status.
In a 4:3 split verdict, the court directed that judicial records of the case be placed before the Chief Justice to consider forming a new bench to address the 2006 Allahabad High Court ruling.
Responding to recent remarks by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath about AMU, Alvi urged him to refer to the Constitution before making such statements. “Article 30 clearly states that minorities have the right to establish and manage institutions, including universities and madrasas, without discrimination in funding. The Chief Minister should read the recent Supreme Court judgment to understand the law of the land,” Alvi asserted, adding that adherence to constitutional principles should guide such sensitive issues.
In his first reaction to the Supreme Court judgement regarding the minority status of the Aligarh Muslim University, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath said earlier on Saturday that the AMU didn’t belong only to Muslims.
”AMU doesn’t belong to the Muslims only. How can it be possible that it is preparing to give 50 per cent reservation to the minorities despite getting funds from the Central government,” he said while addressing an election meeting in Aligarh. –IANS
