Centre will firmly put forth its stand before Supreme Court on question of AMU’s minority status: BJP

The Supreme Court overrules the 1967 decision and restores minority status to Aligarh Muslim University, emphasising autonomy and cultural preservation on Friday (November 8, 2024). File
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

The BJP said on Friday (November 8, 2024) that the Centre will “firmly” put forth its stand on the question of Aligarh Muslim University’s minority status when a new bench of the Supreme Court takes up the matter for hearing.

This came after the apex court deferred the question of Aligarh Muslim University’s minority status to a new bench and overruled the 1967 judgement that said the university cannot be considered a minority institution since it was created by a central law.

“The Central Government, which is a party, will put forward its case very strongly. The Supreme Court, whose primary duty is to interpret the provisions of the Constitution, will do so,” BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia told a press conference at the party headquarters about the development.

“The BJP is a party that believes in the Constitution,” he stressed.

Reacting to the Supreme Court’s decision, BJP IT department head Amit Malviya posted on X remarks of some of the political “stalwarts” who had opposed the granting of a minority tag to the Aligarh Muslim University during debates in Parliament in 1972.

“Here is a look at what some of the stalwarts had to say during parliamentary debates, opposing granting of minority tag to AMU,” wrote on X, posting remarks of former Education Minister S. Nural Hasan, then DMK MP CT Dhandapani and then Congress MP from Baramulla Syed Ahmed Aga.