On May 17, the Allahabad High Court dismissed a petition filed by Professor Mujahid Beg challenging the appointment of Professor Naima Khatoon as the Vice-Chancellor (VC) of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU).
Prayagraj | May 17 – The Allahabad High Court has dismissed a petition that questioned the appointment of Professor Naima Khatoon as the Vice-Chancellor (VC) of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU).
The judgment came on Saturday, May 17, putting an end to the legal challenge against her appointment.
The petition was filed by Professor Mujahid Beg, who alleged that there were irregularities in the appointment process.
He claimed that the rules were “violated in selecting Khatoon,” and the process was influenced to favour one particular candidate.
The petitioner pointed out that Mohammad Gulrez, who was the acting Vice-Chancellor at the time, had “presided over the selection process despite his wife being a contender.”
Professor Khatoon is married to Mohammad Gulrez, and this, according to Beg, created a conflict of interest in the selection proceedings.
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Earlier, on April 9, a division bench of Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Donadi Ramesh had heard arguments from both sides — the petitioner’s lawyer, as well as legal representatives for AMU and the central government. After listening to all parties, the court had reserved its judgment. Now, the court has delivered its verdict, dismissing the petition and allowing the appointment to stand.
Professor Naima Khatoon’s appointment is historically significant, as she is the first woman in over 100 years to be named Vice-Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University.
Professor Khatoon has a long and accomplished academic career. She completed her PhD in Psychology from AMU, and began her teaching journey as a lecturer in the same department in 1988. In 2006, she was promoted to the post of Professor. Later, in 2014, she was appointed as the Principal of AMU’s Women’s College, a position she held until her elevation as the university’s first woman Vice-Chancellor last year.
