Aligarh (Agency): Eight of the 84 members who participated in the meeting of the AMU Court, called for the purpose of finalizing three names for appointment to the post of Vice-Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), supported acting Vice-Chancellor Professor Muhammad Gulrez for the post of Vice-Chancellor of his wife. Despite being a contender, he has expressed strong objection to presiding over this meeting. In the AMU Court meeting held on Monday to finalize three out of five names for the post of Vice-Chancellor, Naima Khatoon, wife of acting Vice-Chancellor Muhammad Gulrez and Principal of AMU Women’s College, was voted in by the 50 members present in the meeting. The other two contenders in the panel, M. Uruj Rabbani (former dean of the Faculty of Medicine, AMU), got 61 votes and Faizan Mustafa (renowned jurist and former vice-chancellor of National Law University, Nalsar) got 53 votes. Immediately after this special meeting, eight out of 84 members of the AMU Court had made very strong remarks questioning the legality and morality of this decision. Of the eight members of the AMU court who signed this dissent note, two are senior faculty members of AMU. These include Professor Aftab Alam, Chairman of the Department of Strategic Studies, and Professor Sufyan Baig, Principal of AMU’s ‘Zakir Hussain College of Engineering and Technology’. The six other members who signed the dissent note include retired Professor Hafiz Ilyas Khan and elected member Khurshid Khan. , Syed Nadeem Ahmed, Syed Mohammad Ahmed Ali, Suhail Ahmed Niazi and M. Suhaib.
Acting Vice Chancellor also voted for his wife
Professor Aftab Alam told PTI, “The acting Vice-Chancellor presided over the meeting and also voted in which his wife is among the contenders for the post of Vice-Chancellor. This conduct of his is not only a violation of the basic principle of ethics, it is also a conflict of interest as well as a violation of the Central Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, 1964.” Prof. Alam said, “It is surprising that on November 30 last In the meeting of the AMU Executive Council held on 25 July, Professor Gulrez not only ignored the objections raised by two members regarding his presiding over the meeting, but he himself gave the decision in his favor in gross violation of the principle of natural justice. .”
The note of dissent mentions “the fundamental principle of justice and fairness
The dissent note, signed by eight members of the AMU court, referred to the “fundamental principle of justice and fairness and the provision that a person cannot be the decision-maker in a matter in which he or his immediate family has a personal interest or stake.” This is because it would create bias and conflict of interest if any member of the decision making body personally or through any of his immediate family members is involved or interested in the outcome of the matter under consideration.’ ‘When contacted, AMU spokesperson Omar Pirzada reiterated that there is nothing in the University’s Act and Rules that prevents the Vice-Chancellor from presiding over or voting at a meeting in which his wife is among the candidates for selection. He said, “None of the nominated persons attending the Executive Council meeting or any of the four former Vice-Chancellors of the institute had raised any objection on this matter.”
VC appointment will be affected in future: Aftab Alam
A senior AMU official told PTI, “If the acting vice-chancellor voting in support of his spouse violates any law, then some people present at that meeting would definitely have raised objections.” Responding to this claim, Aftab Alam said, “Sometimes the law may be silent on certain aspects but the spirit of the law is clear that the right to decide in the matter of appointment to any high post is the foundation on which such appointment is made.” The edifice of any appointment rests on its moral authority. If this principle is not respected then it will definitely have an impact on future events.
The three names selected by the AMU court for the post of Vice-Chancellor will be sent to the Visiting President of Aligarh Muslim University, Draupadi Murmu, who will select one as the Vice-Chancellor. If Naima Khatoon is appointed, she will be the first woman Vice Chancellor of AMU.