New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has sought a response from the Central government and Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) University regarding a plea challenging the appointment of Professor Mazhar Asif as the Vice Chancellor. The petition, filed by lawyer Vishal Kumar Rai, alleges that the appointment process was marred by illegal interference from the Union Ministry of Education and violated the JMI Act and UGC regulations, reported the Bar and Bench.
Justice Prateek Jalan has issued notices to the Union Ministry of Education, JMI University, Professor Mazhar Asif, the President’s Secretariat, and the Search-cum-Selection Committee involved in the appointment. The court will hear the matter on July 16.
Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma, representing JMI, questioned the petition’s maintainability and the authenticity of the documents submitted. However, Advocate Amit George, appearing for the petitioner, argued that any citizen can challenge the appointment since JMI is under the Central government. He also stated that the documents were obtained from publicly available sources.
The court has taken note of the objections regarding the petition’s maintainability and will address them in the next hearing. The case continues to draw attention, highlighting concerns over transparency and autonomy in university appointments.
