At its inception, AMU was a product of a concerted effort on the part of some of the most influential Muslims of that time to create a “Muslim” university. Sir Syed Ahmad Khan had led the path after having witnessed closely the misery of the Muslim community in the aftermath of the revolt of 1857.
Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, presiding over a 7-judge constitution bench, made the observation on a reference that arose from the 2006 verdict of the Allahabad High Court, which held that AMU which was established in 1920 was not a minority institution.
The BJP-led NDA government had refused to accept the 1981 amendment to the AMU Act last week and insisted that the court should go by the five-judge constitution bench verdict in the S Azeez Basha versus Union of India case in 1967.
Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, presiding over a 7-judge constitution bench, made the observation on a reference that arose from the 2006 verdict of the Allahabad High Court, which held that AMU which was established in 1920 was not a minority institution.
Grappling with the intractable issue of Aligarh Muslim University's minority status, the Supreme Court said the 1981 amendment to the AMU Act only did a "half-hearted job" and not restore to the institution the position it had prior to 1951.