Clerics, politicians hail SC decision on AMU as victory for Muslims

Muslim clerics, scholars, politicians expressed happiness over the Supreme Court’s verdict on the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) status on Friday. The country’s top court held that an institution will not lose its minority status merely because it was created by a statute, effectively overruling its decision of 1967.
A regular three-member bench will now deliberate and decide upon whether the institution is indeed a minority institution or not.
Muslim clerics say that it will improve the education opportunities for Muslims and this has set a tone for a change in the country for minority institutes.
Maulana Arshad Madani, the chief of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, and principal of Darul Uloom Deoband welcomed the decision, calling it a historic victory for the Muslim community. Speaking to Hindustan Times on phone he said, “The issue had been pending for over 50 years,” adding that it “should have been resolved much earlier.
AMU has always been viewed as a Muslim institution. It’s registered name is Aligarh Muslim University, and it was established by Muslims for the welfare of the Muslim community,”
Madani also highlighted the broader implications of the decision, stating that it would pave the way for other Muslim institutions to seek minority status, thereby, improving access to education for Muslims. “This will not only increase opportunities for Muslim students to secure admissions but also contribute to the overall development of the community,” he added.
Maulana Khalid Rasheed Farangi Mahli, chairman of the Islamic Centre of India, described the apex court’s decision as a landmark judgment. He noted that the Supreme Court, by a 4:3 majority, overruled its 1967 ruling that AMU could not claim minority status because it was created by a statute.
He highlighted that on July 20, 1872, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan appealed to Muslim princely states for donations to establish an educational institution for the Muslim community. On April 24, 1875, he founded the Madrasatul Uloom, which marked the institution’s beginnings. It became a college on January 8, 1877, and in 1920, it evolved into the Aligarh Muslim University, providing modern education within an Islamic environment to foster scientific thinking among Muslim students.
Maulana Yasoob Abbas, general secretary of All India Shia Personal Law Board, also welcomed the decision. He said, “We hope that the three-member bench constituted will give the same decision on AMU. Now all the doubts about the status of AMU will be put to rest.”
Politicians say
Anshu Awasthi Congress spokesperson said, “The Supreme Court judgement is welcome under the circumstances when it is of utmost importance that the autonomy and original status of such institutes like BHU or AMU are protected while the BJP government and its parent body, RSS, under a subtle conspiracy, have been trying to turn such institutes of higher learnings into their camps. These institutes are prestigious and world-famous where people from around the globe come for learning. The institutes should be protected from the BJP government that intends to close down 27,000 schools in the state.”
Congress secretary Shahnawaz Alam too welcomed the decision affirming AMU’s minority status. In a press statement, Alam highlighted that the Modi government had filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court in 2019, arguing that AMU could not be granted minority institution status. In contrast, the Congress-led UPA government under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had advocated for granting AMU minority status.
Samajwadi Party spokesperson Ameeque Jamei said, “The SC judgement in the AMU case has sent a wave of joy in the entire country. This judgement conveys that in this country, be it religious minorities or linguistic minorities, they have a right to establish their own universities or schools, they have the right to run those institutions. Such institutions help the country in bringing backward sections into the mainstream. In the 1857 revolution, Aligarh played an important role. Sir Syed struggled all his life for the unity of the country. The judgement is the victory of the Constitution.”