Senior Rajya Sabha member and former Union Minister Ramjilal Suman welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision to reconsider the minority status of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU). However, he noted that the judgment is not yet final, as the matter has been referred to a regular three-judge bench for a conclusive ruling on AMU minority status.
Suman expressed his commitment to advancing his private member bill, introduced in the Rajya Sabha last month, aimed at officially restoring AMU’s minority status. He vowed to take all necessary steps to ensure the bill’s passage in Parliament.
Suman remarked, “Today’s Supreme Court decision nullifies the Allahabad High Court’s 2005 ruling, thereby strengthening AMU’s claim for its minority character. However, a definitive decision still awaits the judgment of a three-judge Supreme Court bench.” He emphasised his efforts through the private member bill, introduced in Rajya Sabha last month, to restore the minority status that had been affirmed by an amendment act passed by both houses of Parliament in December 1981. This status was later challenged and nullified by the Allahabad High Court in 2005.
Given that the Modi government has filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court, opposing AMU’s minority status, Suman introduced his private member bill to counter this stance.
He asserted, “My bill aims to recognise the historical fact that AMU was established by the Muslim community of India, who contributed Rs.30 lakh to its founding through the then-government.”
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Suman also pointed out that the restoration of AMU’s minority status was previously included in the Janata Party’s election manifestos of 1977 and 1979. Notably, many leaders who later became prominent figures in BJP, including A.B. Vajpayee and L.K. Advani, were members of Janata Party at the time. They supported the restoration of AMU minority status, which had been revoked by Indira Gandhi’s Congress Party in the 1970s.
Through his bill, Suman seeks to address this historical injustice and ensure AMU’s rightful recognition as a minority institution in line with the intentions of its founders and the commitments made by previous political leaders.
