HC bins plea challenging appointment of AMU's 1st woman VC

Prayagraj: The Allahabad high court on Saturday dismissed a writ petition challenging the process of appointment of Prof Naima Khatoon as the vice-chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University.

The petitioner, Prof Mujahid Beg, had challenged Prof Khatoon's appointment on the ground that her husband, Prof Mohammed Gulrez, was the acting AMU VC and had presided over the key meetings of the executive council and the university court where his wife's name was recommended for the university's top post.

Prof Beg further claimed the meetings were manipulated to secure the selection and appointment of Prof Khatoon.

Earlier on April 9, a bench of Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Donadi Ramesh had reserved its judgment in the case. The court has also consolidated two additional petitions filed on the same issue and both were decided in the Saturday's judgment.

Dismissing the petition, the bench observed: "We have noticed that qualification of Prof Khatoon to be appointed as the vice-chancellor is not an issue. Her ultimate selection is by the Visitor against whom no allegation of bias is made. She was erstwhile Principal of Women's College of the University."

"Merely because her husband was acting as vice-chancellor and had presided and participated in the meetings of executive council and university court, which also recommended her name, in addition to others, for appointment as VC cannot be a ground to interfere with her appointment as the first woman VC of the university," it added.

The court further noted: "Though, we are of the opinion that Prof Gulrez Ahmad ought not to have presided and participated in the meetings, yet, considering the nature of appointment process and the limited recommendatory role of executive council and university court in making of appointment of VC, we are of the considered view that participation of Prof Gulrez Ahmad has not vitiated the selection proceedings."

The court further said: "We hold that discretion exercised by the Visitor in appointing Prof Khatoon as the AMU VC from a panel of three names recommended by the university court merits no interference."

Regarding the qualifications of Prof Khatoon, the court said she possesses qualification for appointment to the post of VC.

"For well over a century no woman has ever been appointed as (AMU) vice-chancellor. Appointment of woman as VC of a premier institution of higher learning sends a message that the constitutional objective of advancement of cause of women is being promoted. In such circumstances, the question is as to whether this court would unseat the first woman VC of AMU only because her husband had presided over the meeting of executive council and university court, which included her name in the panel to be send to the Visitor? The answer has to be a definite no."

Khatoon, who completed her PhD in psychology from AMU, was appointed as a lecturer in the same department in 1988 before being elevated to professor in 2006. She continued there before being appointed the principal of the Women's College in 2014.