Legal

Delhi High Court Issues Notice On Plea Challenging Jamia VC Appointment

The Delhi High Court has issued a notice to the Central Government, Jamia Millia Islamia University, and others over a plea challenging Professor Mazhar Asif’s appointment as Vice Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia.

Justice Prateek Jalan scheduled the next hearing for July 16, 2025.

According to the plea, the Search Committee was unlawfully formed, and the Chairman’s nomination was improper.

Moreover, it accuses the Union Ministry of Education of influencing the Visitor’s selection of the Chairman from two ministry-provided nominees.

Furthermore, the petitioner argues that the Ministry’s interference violated statutory procedures and Supreme Court guidelines.

The plea, filed through Advocate Rakshita Goyal, calls the appointment a ‘colorable exercise of power’.

It states that the process violated Statute 2(1) of the Jamia Millia Islamia Act, 1988 and Clause 7.3 of the UGC Regulations, 2018.

Government Defends Appointment

On the other hand, Chetan Sharma, Additional Solicitor General for the University, and Monika Arora, Central Government Standing Counsel, defended the appointment.

They challenged the petitioner’s locus standi and the scope of a writ of quo warranto.

In addition, they raised concerns about ‘Summary Notes’ attached to the petition, which the Union of India submitted to the President. They asked the petitioner to explain how they obtained these documents and confirm their authenticity.

Significantly, Arora cited Article 74(2) of the Constitution, which prevents judicial review of ministerial advice to the President.

Meanwhile, Dr. Amit George, counsel for the petitioner, argued that judicial precedents allow any citizen to seek a writ of quo warranto without strict locus standi requirements.

He further stated that the disputed documents were publicly available online.

Finally, the court directed four Executive Council members to be included as respondents.

The petitioner seeks to annul the Vice Chancellor’s appointment under Article 226 of the Constitution.

Also Read: Delhi HC Urges Govt To Resolve Soldier Farm Colony Regularization Issue

Bharat Express English

Recent Posts

PM Modi Calls India-Central Asia Partnership ‘Force Multiplier’ For Regional Global Stability

PM Narendra Modi met with the Foreign Ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan…

12 mins ago

PM Modi, Canadian PM Carney Hold Talks; India To Attend G7 Summit In June

PM Narendra Modi spoke with Canada's new Prime Minister Mark Carney on Friday, congratulating him…

1 hour ago

Vedanta Boosts Green Energy Push; Surpasses 1 GW Renewable Energy Mark

On the occasion of World Environment Day, Vedanta Ltd announced a significant milestone in its…

2 hours ago

FDI Inflows In India Surpass $500 Billion In A Decade; Driven By Key Reforms

India attracted over $500 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) equity inflows between 2014 and…

2 hours ago

PM Modi Takes Dig At Pakistan For Attacking ‘Insaniyat’ & ‘Kashmiriyat’

PM Narendra Modi strongly condemned Pakistan for the Pahalgam terror attack, accusing it of trying…

3 hours ago

PM Modi Attacks Pakistan Over Pahalgam Terror Incident; Hails Operation Sindoor

PM Narendra Modi on Thursday launched a scathing attack on Pakistan for attempting to derail…

4 hours ago