The Supreme Court on Monday declined to interfere with the appointment of Professor Naima Khatoon as the Vice-Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), upholding the historic elevation of the institution’s first woman vice-chancellor.
A bench of Justices J.K. Maheshwari and Vijay Bishnoi dismissed the appeal filed by Professors Muzaffar Uruj Rabbani and Faizan Mustafa challenging the Allahabad High Court’s order that had earlier validated Khatoon’s appointment.
The petitioners argued that Professor Khatoon’s appointment was tainted by conflict of interest, as her husband, who was then the AMU Vice-Chancellor, allegedly cast the decisive vote in her favour. They contended that this undermined the fairness of the selection process.
The case first came before a bench headed by Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai, with Justice K. Vinod Chandran as a member. On August 18, Justice Chandran recused himself, citing his earlier role as Chancellor of the Consortium of National Law Universities (CNLU), during which he had selected petitioner Faizan Mustafa.
“I was the chancellor of CNLU when I selected Faizan Mustafa… so I can recuse myself from the hearing,” Justice Chandran said.
Though Solicitor General Tushar Mehta submitted that there was no need for recusal and that the bench could proceed, the CJI allowed Justice Chandran to step aside, directing the matter to be listed before another bench.
The case was subsequently heard by Justices Maheshwari and Bishnoi, who on Monday rejected the plea and affirmed Khatoon’s appointment. The verdict marks a decisive closure to the legal challenge against her elevation as AMU’s first woman vice-chancellor, a milestone in the university’s history.
