The University Grants Commission (UGC) has told the Supreme Court that Aligarh Muslim University vice-chancellor Lt Gen (rtd) Zameer Uddin Shah’s appointment was not in accordance with its regulation.
“The UGC regulations once notified becomes an Act and the same has the force of law and are not dependent upon adoption or no adoption by any state government. They are statutorily and mandatorily to be followed by all the universities as stipulated in the regulations itself,” the regulatory body said.
It also maintained that the AMU had also approved, adopted and implemented the UGC regulations 2010.
The response of the UGC was filed as an affidavit in pursuance of the notice by the apex court in a special leave petition challenging a Allahabad High Court order of October 16 last. The high court had dismissed a plea against the appointment of Shah to the post of the AMU V-C on May 11, 2012, saying in the absence of any adoption of UGC regulations by the university, it would not suffer from any illegality.
The clause of 7.3.0 of the UGC regulations stated the vice-chancellor to be appointed has to be a distinguished academician with minimum of 10 years of experience as a professor in a university system or 10 years of experience in an equivalent position in a reputed research or academic administrative organisation. After taking the UGC’s affidavit on record, the court, however, asked the Human Resource Development Ministry to file its affidavit within a week, clarifying the Centre’s position.